Naruto: The Seven Seas of Love
by LittleShadowSpinner
Summary: After making a stop at Port Konoha, Captain Naruto and his Co-Captain Sasuke set out sailing once again. Things are a little strange aboard the ship, and things get even stranger when two women come tumbling out of some of their goods. What could this mean? AU. Pirates, swords, adventure, romance, and a little bit of seasickness. Or is that love? NaruHina SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1: Stowed Away Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this fanfic story.**

* * *

"Land ho, boys!" A booming voice called out.

It was a sunny bright blue day outside without a cloud in the sky with fair winds. A perfect sailing day if you've ever heard of one honestly. The blonde haired man at the top of the mast laughed a hardy laugh and proceeded to grab a rope and jump off the high surface without any hesitation.

Swinging down, the big built guy skimmed the top of the deck floor then stopped only by crashing into a barrel of oranges.

"Ch, idiot." A voice scoffed, watching the whole ordeal.

"Heh... Oops. At least we're headed for the port!" The man said rubbing the back of his head.

"Really, Naruto, you need to be more careful." The black haired man said while helping the clumsy boyish-man up.

"Ay, understood Captain!" Naruto smiled.

"Co-captain, idiot." The man seethed while correcting his friend.

"And that's understood too, Sasuke." Naruto clapped Sasuke on the back and then jogged to the wheel of his ship.

"Don't forget men! This is the big trip where we stalk up! This is one of our last stops before our true adventure!" Naruto called out as he took over his wheel from the chap manning it at the time.

"Ay, Captain!" The men on the ship called back.

Sasuke had followed Naruto, being quiet and kept to himself as usual.

"You ready for the start of our big pirate adventure Co-Captain?" Naruto laughed as he turned the wheel a bit to the right.

"The only thing I'll be doing the whole time is making sure you don't screw up." Sasuke muttered making Naruto laugh even more.

"We get two days in Port Konaha. So get what you need and be back in the right time. Soon, we'll be sailing the seven seas." Naruto spun the wheel to the left, his smile gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

* * *

"Lady Hinata, do you really think that's a good idea?" A voice asked softly.

Hinata smiled sadly as she nodded her head once.

"It's the only way." She sighed.

"But m'lady it's not like what you think it is. Out there we could-"

"Sakura it's fine. If I think about those things I'll just worry myself and I won't do that. We leave tomorrow. And please, don't call me lady anymore, you know what happens after a family member is disowned by their heritage. Just call me Hinata." Hinata said quietly, not wanting to be heard.

"Understood. What do we take?" The pink haired woman asked.

"Our wits and courage. Other than that nothing. After tomorrow, we start new. A fresh beginning, you could say." Hinata smiled. She knew Sakura was worried and so was she- but after what happened the night before she wasn't going to stay at the Hyuuga estate any longer. She had asked her trusted servant and friend, Sakura Haruno, to go with her. Sakura agreed, but Hinata knew it was only because she wanted to keep her safe. Sighing, Hinata took a deep breath.

"My father may have disowned me, but he still wants me here. We can't be caught escaping at all." Hinata warned.

"Yes miss, I know." Sakura said, stoking the fire.

They were in Hinata's room, talking about their plans to leave. Hinata's bed was by the wood stove, a chair and couch was close by with a rug in the middle.

"I thought I said-" Hinata started but was cut off.

"I know what you said." Sakura interrupted softly.

They were quiet as they played the roles of themselves. Pretending everything was normal and all was well. Of course that wasn't the case, but they couldn't do anything about that.

"Sakura, you know you could have said no, right?" Hinata asked after a moment.

"Yes, I know. But I also know that we both knew I wouldn't say no. Isn't that correct?" Sakura replied smirking.

Hinata chuckled and nodded her head. Sakura went about the room doing her late chores as usual while Hinata sat and had her tea. They agreed that Sakura would come and get Hinata later that night and together they would slip out of the household now known as a prison to them.

"See you in the morning Lady Hinata." Sakura said, bowing slightly as she picked up the tea tray to take to the kitchen.

"Very good, Sakura. Thank you." Hinata said, playing along.

Sakura left the room with a wink and walked down the long corridor, thinking about how tomorrow might go. She had never really liked the job of a maidservant, but Hinata was very nice and the pay was good. She was excited to see what the new life would bring but being the person she is she still worried.

The pink haired beauty flicked her hair to the side as she was turning the corner, completely unaware of the figure also turning the corner until they ran into each other making the tea tray crash to the ground.

"Oh my-" Sakura looked up and saw a brown haired brown eyed guard, one of many at the establishment.

"My apologies, I wasn't paying attention." The guard said.

"It's my fault, I should be sorry." Sakura gave a little smile as she started to place the things back on the tray. Without a word the guard started to help her.

"So, what is a pretty young lady like yourself doing up this late?" The man asked, handing her a teacup.

"Just finished my chores." Sakura said a little tightly. She didn't take well to being flirted with by random strangers.

Standing up, the man picked up the tray and balancing it on one hand he offered his hand to help her up.

"My name's Ryuu, yours?" The man said.

Ignoring his offered hand, Sakura stood up by herself and dusted off her maid uniform before taking the tray back.

"Sakura." She replied simply.

"A perfect name for you. It even matches your hair." Ryuu reached a hand out and grasped a lock of it.

Turning red with rage, Sakura took a deep breath. Who did he think he was?!

Sidestepping him so she could continue walking to the kitchen, she flicked her hair to get it out of his grasp and walked down the hallway quickly.

"Hey! Where you going? I wasn't done talking to you!" The man walked a few steps after her but stopped and smiled to himself. But it wasn't a nice smile, it was a smile that meant trouble.

Sakura was changed and ready to head back to her apartment. She said her goodbyes, put on her cape and started off down the dark cobblestone streets. It was a beautiful night, with the silver moon shining down on the buildings and houses that she passed by. There was a small breeze, cooling the night air and making Sakura hug her cape just a little tighter to herself.

There were other people on the streets, heading home or heading to a tavern. But for some reason Sakura had this strange feeling in her stomach that wouldn't let up. She glanced behind her and suddenly caught brown eyes. Gasping quietly she looked forward again. It was the same eyes as the guard. She took and deep breath and kept walking, trying to reassure herself that maybe he was walking home and it was this way.

Glancing back again, she didn't see him and breathed a sigh of relief. As she walked she noticed the streets getting thinner, but that usually happened closer to this part of town. It wasn't a dangerous part, it was just that a lot of retired and homely people lived here so it wasn't that busy at night.

For some reason Sakura felt compelled to look back again, so following her instinct she did. And sure enough, there was the guard again. But this time they were the only two on the streets. Adrenaline kicked in and Sakura started to walk faster, soon she was walking so fast you might call it a jog. She wasn't going to be home for another two blocks and that just wouldn't do. Making a quick decision, Sakura turned into an alleyway and started running. She turned alleyway to alleyway, running as fast as she could. She then turned into one alleyway and ran right into something, both toppling down to the stone floor. Sakura shut her eyes and breathed heavily, wondering where Ryuu was and if he was still following her. She sighed. She hated acting like this, she was usually brave and outgoing but when it comes to things like this how can you be?

Sighing, she then realized that someone had grabbed her arms and was moving her. Sakura gasped and opened her eyes only to stare right back at some of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen in her life. Dark black ones with specks of red in them. How it was possible she didn't know but it almost put her in a trance. Until their owner talked.

"Hello? Anyone there? Mind getting off of me?" Then it all clicked.

Sakura had ran into this person, probably giving them a few bruises.

"I'm so sorry." Sakura said quickly, getting off of him, accidentally elbowing him in the ribs a few time.

"Ah... Right." He muttered.

Helping him up, Sakura realized he was quite a few inches taller than her, he had black hair with almost a hue of blue in it. He was fit and even more attractive than Sakura thought at first. Although he looked extremely unhappy about the events which had happened.

"You shouldn't run like that so late at night." The man said, only sounding bored.

"I couldn't help it, I was being followed." Sakura breathed.

The man raised an eyebrow but didn't ask for details. Brushing herself off, Sakura glanced behind the man and low and behold, there was Ryuu.

"Hey, where you going, Sakura? I wanted to talk for a moment." Ryuu called, advancing slowly.

The man who Sakura had crashed into turned around and looked right at Ryuu.

"Sakura, is this the man you were telling me about just now?" The man glanced back.

She realized the man was trying to help, pretending to know her and silently thanked a higher power for him. Sakura, unable to speak, just nodded her head.

Turning back to Ryuu, the man stepped in front of Sakura slightly and looked him right in the eyes.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you. Try again later, or better yet, never again." The man said coldly. Ryuu looked at the stranger and then back at Sakura who was looking at the stranger too, then back to the man.

"And who are you to say that?" Ryuu said, even though he didn't leave yet he looked about ready to run.

"I don't think that's needed information. Now get lost." The man turned back to Sakura and put his hands on her shoulders. Sakura realized she was shaking slightly due to the cold and tried to stop.

Ryuu watched them for a moment and then backed out of the alleyway slowly and turned to go without saying a word.

"Thank you." Sakura said, after she was sure Ryuu was gone. The stranger nodded his head and removed his hands from her shoulders.

"Um... I don't know exactly what to do from here, because-" Sakura started but was cut off.

"I'll walk you home." The man turned without a second thought and started walking down the alleyway. Sakura was going to protest, but she realized she didn't actually want to.

She followed him until they were side by side walking down the street now.

"So, what's your name?" Sakura said, trying to make conversation.

"I don't think that's needed information." The man smirked.

"Well then, I'll guess." Sakura decided. The man didn't protest so Sakura went ahead.

"Is it... Kousai?" She guessed first.

The man just shook his head.

"Hakuya?"

Another shake.

"Livius?" She guessed, feeling a little frustrated now.

Another no.

"Kiba? Eren? Takumi? Ikki? Otani?" She guessed all at once.

The man smirked but didn't say anything. He also didn't shake his head though.

"Is it one of those?" Sakura asked while they turned a corner.

The stranger just pressed his lips together and gave nothing away.

"Is it Kiba?" Sakura guessed. She didn't even realize she was on her street until the smell of cherry blossoms came with the next small gust of wind.

The man didn't respond once and before Sakura could say anything they were already on her porch in front of her little rented out house.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura sighed and turned to the man who was looking up at the stars.

"Thank you, again. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't ran into you. Literally." Sakura said the last word more as a joke than anything but the man still looked at her with a bit of a scowl.

"Would you like to come in for tea? It's the least I could do." Sakura offered.

"No, I still have work to do. Are you sure you're safe?" He asked.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes, I don't feel scared anymore." She smiled.

The man nodded his head once and turned to go. Sakura watched him go, thinking about what had happened that night.

"Sasuke. My name is Uchiha Sasuke." The man said without even looking behind him.

"Haruno Sakura. Nice to make your acquaintance." Sakura bowed slightly even though he wasn't looking at her. She watched him walk away into the night and wondered if she'd ever see those beautiful eyes again. Sighing, Sakura turned and went inside her house to gather the most special belongings to her for tomorrow.

* * *

"Don't forget those barrels and crates men!" The captain yelled from the ship so loud some of the passing people turned to watch them continue to stalk their ship.

"You shouldn't yell quite so loud, Naruto." Sasuke scolded the blonde headed, loud mouthed idiot.

Laughing loudly, Naruto jogged down the boarding plank and picked some crates and started walking them back to his ship.

"Why not help out, Sasuke? You're not Co-Captain for nothing." Naruto said as he passed by the cold Uchiha.

"Ch, what do you think I have you for?" Sasuke shot back, going to pick up a barrel.

He huffed and looked confused for a moment.

"What..."

"What's wrong? Feeling a little weak there teme?" Naruto called, laughing a little.

"No, its just..." Sasuke glared at Naruto not even caring to finish his sentence. Sasuke grunted and hauled the barrel onto the ship, passing some of the crew and Naruto who went for the other barrel next to the one Sasuke had grabbed.

As Naruto picked it up he grunted at its weight, surprising himself.

"What's wrong? Feeling a-"

"Shut up." Naruto interrupted Sasuke. Confused, Naruto walked the barrel to the ship, placing it next to where Sasuke had out this one.

"Shouldn't this just be fabric for trading or something? Didn't we order fabric?" Naruto turned to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded his head, remembering from when they talked about what they needed.

"Then why..." Naruto went to open the barrel when a crate slammed down on top of it before he could. Gasping he looked up to see one of his crew members- Kiba.

"What do you think you're doing?! You could have smashed my fingers!" Naruto complained.

"Sorry." Kiba shrugged and walked away. There were only a few crates and barrels left in the amount they had carried onto the ship.

"Sasuke, would you please follow me? Let's talk about charting." Naruto muttered, walking away with Sasuke following with his arms crossed as he usually had them.

It had been one day of full sailing when it happened. Naruto and Sasuke were taking a walk on the deck of the ship in the afternoon sun while Shikamaru, the Boatswain, was inspecting the goods which they had gotten.

Naruto had told Shikamaru about his suspicions of the strange barrels and thankfully they were the last thing to be inspected.

"Right there Shika." Naruto pointed to the barrels. Sasuke and Shikamaru picked up and moved the crate over and as Shikamaru went to open the barrels... They broke. And what came out of the broken barrels? Two women. One with long black hair and one with short pink hair.

Gasping, the girls fell out of the barrels, light shining brightly in their eyes. When their eyes finally adjusted to the bright sun they looked up to see a blonde haired man and someone one of the girls already knew.

"It's you." The pinked haired girl and the black haired man said at the same time.

And that's how their adventure started. With two girls falling out of barrels and two men looking at them flabbergasted as they thought those barrels should have been fabric.

Strange? Oh yes.

Interesting? Sure thing.

Exciting? We'll see :3


	2. Chapter 2: Set In Stone

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked Sakura as Naruto and him helped the women up from the broken boards.

"We got... A little lost." Sakura said slowly, looking at Hinata.

"Wait, I'm sorry but do you two know each other?" Naruto asked, motioning to Sakura and Sasuke.

"I helped her with an issue while I was out looking for a new sword." Sasuke quickly explained.

Naruto looked at the pink haired beauty with a questionable glance.

"And… You are?" He prompted.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, and this is Hyuuga Hinata." They both gave a slight bow, though the circumstances didn't feel quite right for it.

Naruto held up his hand in an unmoving wave gesture, a perplexed look still on his face. "Captain Uzumaki Naruto."

"I-I'm sorry to i-intrude like this b-but we were having a-an issue." Hinata said, looking at the deck floor.

"Hm, so troublesome." Shikamaru, who had been forgotten about, muttered and walked away not even caring about the situation at hand.

"What kind of issue?" Naruto asked, placing his hand on his sword for someplace to rest. Hinata, taking his gesture the wrong way, gasped and went to Sakura quickly.

"Sakura..." Hinata was shaking now. Sakura held Hinata, she knew how she acted around weapons with people she didn't know.

"Sorry. I wasn't going to hurt you." Naruto reassured her quickly, taking his hand off his sword and crossing his arms.

"The issue?" Sasuke, an impatient person, urged them on to tell the story. Hinata glanced at Sakura, making her sigh.

"Hinata was disowned by her family. Even though that was the case, Hinata's father wouldn't allow her to leave so we decided to escape during the night. I'm the maidservant of Lady Hinata." Sakura looked at Sasuke "That man which you helped me get rid of is a guard there."

Naruto made a whistle sound as he listened to the situation they were in.

"That still doesn't explain how you ended up in our goods." Naruto pointed out.

A cool wind came in and swept the deck with ocean water as the boat crashed into a wave, spraying the group with seawater.

The crew members had begun to take notice of the strange women, becoming very intrigued. They had all started to stare, watching the situation closely to make sure their captains in command weren't in any sort of danger.

"Maybe we should talk about this behind closed doors, Naruto." Sasuke said quietly, glancing at the rest of the men.

Naruto, taking note of this, nodded his head in agreement.

"Please, follow me to my quarters. We'll continue this conversation there." Naruto decided.

Naruto began to head below deck, motioning the girls to follow him while Sasuke followed closely behind. Entering the two door cabin, they found themselves in a fairly large space with smooth hardwood flooring and faded red walls. There was a big window area at the front of the room, opposite the way you walked in that looked out upon the vast blue sea behind of the grand ship. There was a sturdy looking desk with intricate carvings on it, with a chair behind that, clearly the captains chair.

"Can I get you girls anything before we continue to discuss the situation at hand?" Naruto asked politely.

"Some water for Lady Hinata please." Sakura said at once. Naruto walked to a barrel that was located in the corner of the room and drew two cups of water while the women inspected the room.

"Please, sit." Naruto directed them to two chairs that sat in front of the desk. The women looked hesitant, but sat down nonetheless.

Handing them the water, Naruto sat across from them while Sasuke stood a little further back, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

It was silent. It was _uncomfortably_ silent.

"T-Thank you for the drink." Hinata said to break the stillness, looking nervously at the floor.

"Of course. So, you," Naruto said, looking at the Hyuuga, "have been disowned by your family. A very sad thing to hear quite honestly… But again, that doesn't explain why you're on my ship."

Hinata flushed from being put on the spot while continuously being stared at by these two men.

"W-well… You see, I-I was t-trying to escape with Sakura, a-and-" The dear girl could barely speak, her face growing redder every time she stuttered. Thankfully though, Sakura swooped in and cut her off, saving the girl from having a panic attack most likely.

"We were caught escaping, so we started to run for it. We ended up at the port and couldn't run anymore, so we took out your fabric and hid in the barrels. We both fell asleep as we waited for them to clear out. We were going to leave and replace your things but we couldn't get out of the barrels." Sakura explained further.

Everyone was quiet for a moment after Sakura was done throughly explaining. Finally, and oddly enough, it was the Uchiha to break the silence.

"So you're stowaways." He concluded.

Hinata's eyes widened, Sakura just looked surprised and Naruto sat there thinking.

"Naruto, you know we lock up stowaways." Sasuke continued. Sakura started to scowl at Sasuke.

"It's not like we meant to. It was a mistake." Sakura said, defending herself and the Hyuuga.

"No, no we won't lock them up. They don't deserve that for accidentally making their way onto my ship." Naruto said slowly.

There was silence once again.

"I'm assuming you want to stay here then, instead of being imprisoned or thrown out into the sea." Naruto also mentioned, looking at the girls.

"I-it would be g-greatly appreciated if w-we were able to stay. We c-can work for you, e-earn our place h-here." Hinata said quietly, looking at Sakura who nodded her head once, reassuring her.

"We already have a full crew." Sasuke spoke up.

Naruto looked extremely thoughtful. Suddenly, he stood up quite quickly.

"Sasuke, follow me. We need to talk alone for a minute. Ladies, if you would please stay put for a moment we'll be right back." Naruto walked swiftly to the door, motioning Sasuke to follow him. Sasuke looked slightly surprised, but went after Naruto anyway.

Once the door was shut, Sakura stood immediately and went to Hinata's side and took her hand in hers.

"My lady, are you okay? Are you hurt at all?" Obvious concern was laced throughout her clear feminine voice.

Hinata smiled sweetly and pat Sakura's hand that covered hers.

"I'm just fine, Sakura. Th-thank you for your kindness. But I'm just your friend now, n-not your lady. Please t-tell me though, are you okay? Th-this is all quite fascinating, don't you think?" Hinata looked around herself, noticing some things she hadn't before. Like the thin layer of dust covering the bookcases that were placed in here, or the various charting tools and navigational instruments that were scattered on some shelves and the captains desk.

"Fascinating is one word for it, though maybe not the word I would use… And yes, I'm okay. Are you sure you're willing to work for a position on this ship though? We're not even in the least bit acquainted with any of these people and don't have much sailing experience whatsoever." Sakura questioned, skeptical of Hinata's choices.

But Hinata smiled a sweet and reassuring smile.

"That Sasuke p-person did save you f-from that man, and if he did th-hat then he can't be that bad. And I'm very w-willing to work. I use to sail to other c-countries frequently with my family when I was smaller." Hinata then blushed and looked away. "P-Plus, C-Captain Naruto s-seems to b-be nice…"

* * *

"Exactly what are you thinking, dobe?" Sasuke hissed as soon as Naruto stepped away from the closed doors.

Naruto turned and surprised Sasuke when he saw a more serious look on his face than he was expecting to. Though Naruto called Sasuke out here, he was silent. He needed to think without looking at the girls, it was easier to make a clear decision when you weren't directly looking at the situation.

"Sasuke… What are your opinions on all this?" Naruto said, stretching and resting his hands behind his head.

Sasuke was quiet, also thoughtful. Sighing, he dropped his hands and threw them into his pants pockets.

"I think you're right about wanting to help them." He said, making Naruto nod his head.

"We still have the last port to stop at before we truly start sailing, we could drop them off there." Naruto mentioned

"We're not going to be at Port Sunagakure for another week though." Sasuke pointed out, looking at Naruto.

"Miss Hyuuga already said they'd be willing to work while they were here…"

They were silent again, thinking things over. Their ship easily glided across the shimmering blue sea, rocking slightly beneath their feet. It was a beautiful day, truly, and Naruto wished he could enjoy it at the wheel of his boat instead of trying to figure all of these things out. It seemed to him that things were moving quite quickly, but there wasn't anything he could do about it! This was a very problematic situation. His crew was already wondering about what was going on, he knew it. Every time he looked passed Sasuke, he saw his crew glancing this way with suspicion written all over their faces. No doubt he would have been bombarded with hundreds of questions by now if it wasn't for the fact that they had a grand vessel that provided good enough jobs to keep everyone busy. Quite suddenly though, a thought sparked in his mind.

"I've got it!" Naruto burst out. "They can just act as our assistants until we arrive at the port." He said grinning, looking proud of himself.

Sasuke, who had been standing there with his eyes closed, thinking, suddenly opened his black orbs staring at the blonde with wide eyes.

"What?" He hissed. The thought of having one of those girls trail behind him as he went about his friends ship was unsettling and, quite frankly, Sasuke was much more of a loner than anything else. Having an inexperienced dame follow him around asking him if they could help in any way sounded… Well, terrible.

Naruto didn't exactly catch on to Sasuke's bad attitude though. Even if he did however, it wouldn't have bothered him, for his mind was set now.

"Yes, that's a good idea. As you said, all the positions on the ship are already filled, so we can make due with them being our assistants. We can decide who will be who's inside. They should have a say in it after all, since they're women and not cargo. C'mon! Let's go tell them we've made a decision." Naruto turned and started walking back to the doors, but Sasuke quickly grabbed his arm.

"We haven't made a decision! That's a horrible idea, dobe! Just stick them in the kitchen or have them swab decks. Don't stick me with one of them!" Sasuke said tightly. He was in no way going to have this happen.

Naruto grinned widely at Sasuke, bringing his hand up to pat Sasuke's arm. "Lighten up, teme! It's only for a week anyway!"

Sasuke sweat-dropped. This idiot… Swatting his hand away, the Uchiha seethed as he followed his captain back into the room where the girls were waiting, his arms crossed with a scowl on his face.

This was going to be painful…

* * *

Hinata sat silently for a moment longer, smiling softly to herself. Sure she was scared of what was to come, but at the same time… She was so excited and happy. She had finally gotten away from her family, something she had desperately been wanting to do for so long. She was more than lucky to have Sakura with her was well. Such a beautiful and determined heart she had…

Sakura, on the other hand, was still worried for Hinata. She was in the same position from a moment ago, holding Hinata's hand dearly. She was about to say something when Naruto opened the door and walked back in, grinning while an angry-looking Uchiha followed behind him, his arms crossed in front of his chest yet again.

"We've made a decision." Naruto announced, going behind his desk to sit down once again. Sasuke stayed at the door, glaring Naruto down from behind the two women.

Naruto, ignoring Sasuke, continued on.

"You'll of course be allowed to stay. However, you'll work on the ship until we stop at Port Sunagakure where we can drop you off. Until then, you can work as Sasuke's assistant, and mine as well. Would you like draw numbers or choose-" Naruto was looking at them but was suddenly interrupted by Hinata.

Letting go of Sakura's hand, Hinata stood up and then bowed lowly to Naruto.

"I cannot th-thank you enough for your k-kindness, Captain Naruto. Truly, th-thank you." Hinata, though she spoke softly, said her words with clarity and dignity, despite her stutters.

Sakura, following her lady's actions, also bowed to Naruto as a sign of respect and gratitude.

Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward.

"Port Konoha must really have a few different traditions than I'm accustomed to…" Naruto smiled weekly. "Well anyway, I guess we'll draw numbers. This is kind of an un-classy way of doing things, but alas, I have a ship I need to attend to. So if you wouldn't mind…" Naruto put his hand behind his back, holding up a certain amount of fingers.

"Pick a number between 1 and 2." He stated, looking at the girls.

Though she didn't know why, Sakura was slightly nervous. To be honest, she didn't want to assist either of these men, though if it had to be done she'd prefer the blonde over the seething man behind her. He seemed to be a rather unfriendly person…

Hinata was unafraid though. She stood there with her back straight and a determined look in her eye.

"One." She said calmly, looking at Sakura.

"Two, I guess." Sakura muttered, glancing behind her only to meet dark eyes.

Naruto pulled his hand from behind his back, holding up a one. "I'm number one of the ship, so Miss Hyuuga will be with me. There's not much you have to do, just do as I say and relax. Now, follow me please."

Sakura turned around and was met with the cold stare from the Uchiha. She sweat-dropped. She'd have to attend him for a week? Oh how Sakura couldn't wait to get to the port now. She heard shuffling and glanced to see Naruto make his way around the desk and out of the cabin, his shoulders relaxed with a smile on his face. He must have been relieved to have this situation resolved… Hinata followed Naruto out, with Sakura close behind.

As Sakura was nearing the door however, Sasuke shot his arm out and gripped her wrist, making her gasp in alarm and turn to look at him. He held her gaze, his angry glare never wavering as he waited a second for the others to get only a little ahead of them.

"I don't care what you do, but stay out of my way." He hissed.

Sakura's shock left her quickly, replacing what was there with fiery hot anger. She had liked Sasuke just fine until he suggested they were stowaway's and should be locked up. Yanking her arm away from his gasp, she drew in a breath and stood up straight, staring right back into those black eyes.

"Fine with me." She said briskly. She stepped away and walked out of the captains cabin, catching up with Hinata and Naruto. Naruto was currently explaining where things were on the ship, in case we didn't know and how to do this and how to do that. It was useful information, some of it Sakura knew she'd need for her week ahead.

Naruto started walking up one set of stairs to reach the wheel of the grand vessel. Walking up to the railing that was just behind the wheel, Naruto placed his hand on it and looked out upon his boat. The wind blew, pushing forth the ship. The sun was about to set, painting the sky a beautiful array of colors. The boat rocked and sped across the vast blue ocean, and, unknown to everyone, taking them right in the direction their fate awaited.

Turning around to face the others, Naruto grinned widely at the two girls.

"Welcome aboard the Sharinkitsune."

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for being so patient with this update! I first want to thank EVERYONE who reviewed and suggested ship names! It was greatly appreciated. Though the name for the ship doesn't have anything to do with the Rasengan, I do have plans for it! The name of the ship is credited to Hoytti, and when I asked them how they got it they responded with "Shar is the beginning of SHARengan the bloodline of the uchiha and Kitsune is japanese for fox. so I took those two and combined them together. I thought it would be a good idea to combine the two most prominent feature of the captains together" So a special thanks to Hoytti!**

 **To be honest, this chapter was pretty difficult to write. The situation didn't really match well for some of the charters and it all had to do with technical stuff. Next chapter will hopefully be better! It's currently 5am and Easter is tomorrow… or today? It doesn't matter, I need sleep. Enjoy everyone!**

 **Much love from this little coffee shop to yours~**


	3. Chapter 3: To Prove A Point

**Some quick definitions:**

Boatswain:

The Boatswain supervised the maintenance of the vessel and its supply storage. He was responsible for inspecting the ship and it's sails and rigging each morning, and reporting their state to the captain. The Boatswain was also in charge of all deck activities, including weighing and dropping anchor, and handling of the sails.

Master Gunner:

The Master Gunner was responsible for the ship's guns and ammunition. This included sifting the powder to keep it dry, prevent it from separating, insuring the cannons and ordnance were kept free of rust, and that all weapons were kept in good repair. A knowledgable Gunner was essential to the crew's safety and effective use of their weapons.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: Is this really necessary?**

* * *

It had been a day since the the girls were accepted onto the ship. Their presence had been announced to the crew, and the following hours had been torture for Hinata and Sakura. They were constantly being asked questions by random men while trying to settle in. It was decided they'd share a room together, since Sakura was insistent on not leaving Hinata's side unless it was absolutely necessary. Normally they'd just get a hammock with the rest of the ship's company, but there was an exception made for them. Even Sakura had to admit Captain Naruto was being very nice to them. However, she couldn't say the same for Sasuke…

When Sakura had tried to follow him around and do as he asked, he practically ignored her entire existence and went about his daily work, making Sakura look helpless without anything to do. Today though, she was hoping would be much better.

"You look quite happy today, Lady Hinata." Sakura mentioned lightly as they both moved about their room, doing various things to prepare for their day.

Brushing her hair, Hinata tried to hide her blushing face and embarrassed smile.

"Just r-ready to get t-to work." She replied, avoiding Sakura's gaze.

"Right…" Although Sakura noticed all of what Hinata was doing, she decided to let it be for now. The poor girl didn't take well to prying. Sakura laid out both of hers and Hinata's clothes for the day. Though they didn't pack, they were given a crate full of women's clothes that the Sharinkitsune had been carrying for trade. There were a few other women aboard the ship they had been told, but hadn't gotten a chance to meet them yet.

Hinata's clothes were to be dark brown nicely fitted pants with a tightly fitted blue shirt with black boots. Sakura, on the other hand, had black leather pants and a loose white shirt. Something she'd probably would have loved to wear but had never gotten a chance to due to her job. The girls had spent a lot of last night trying to find clothes that would work for them for this trip. One thing they found out soon was that they wouldn't be sharing many clothes.

Though they were both females, their builds were very different. Hinata was extremely curvy and heavy set on the chest, with beautiful porcelain skin and all around more of a mother figure. Though Sakura had her curves, they weren't as ample as Hinata's. She had her assets, with her beautiful lightly tanned skin and bright pink hair. Different, but similar.

"I h-hope your day is better t-today." Hinata said politely, picking up her clothes to change. They had talked last night about what their days had been like, both having much to say. Sakura was silent, but nodded her head in a sign of thanks. She was thoughtful…

A short time passed before the girls left their cabin and trekked up from below the ship, trying to find their way up to the main deck.

"Good morning, ladies!" A man, who had been introduced as Kiba earlier yesterday, said cheerfully to them as they passed.

"Good morning." Hinata and Sakura said together.

"If you're looking for Captain Naruto, I saw him last in the kitchen talking to the cook." Kiba offered.

"Th-Thank you." Hinata gave a slight bow and started to head toward the kitchen, giving Sakura a short wave goodbye.

Kiba was about to start heading off when Sakura grabbed his arm quickly.

"Excuse me, but do you have any idea where Sasuke might be?" She asked.

Kiba looked slightly surprised but smiled at her nonetheless. "Last time I saw him he was entering the Captains Cabin."

Sakura let him go and smiled sweetly at him, giving a slight bow of thanks. "Thank you!" She turned and started making her way above the ship again.

Stepping onto the deck, the bright morning sun hit Sakura's face, making her smile. The smell of the sea enwrapped her and was comforting to her, since she grew up at a port it made it feel more like the home she had left behind. Feeling happy, she confidently walked over to the Captains Cabin, saying good morning to the passing crew members who's faces barely looked familiar from yesterday. Placing her hand on the door handles, she opened the frosted class doors and strode inside with an optimistic look on the day.

And then a piece paper was shoved into her face.

She spazzed and stumbled back slightly, looking up to meet a menacing glare.

"This is a list of tasks you can do today." His voice was calm, despite having almost given Sakura a heart attack.

Placing a hand over her heart, Sakura took a deep breath, her good mood now completely abolished. Taking the piece of paper that had been pushed into her face, she began to look over the jobs she had been given. Her face went through multiple different fazes. First annoyance, then confusion, then anger, and then astonishment, which she proceeded to look at him in.

"These are ridiculous tasks, Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you refusing your jobs, Miss Haruno?" He asked ominously.

Sakura started to glare at him.

"'Check how many ropes are in the Crows Nest? Sand the railing behind the wheel? Check how many tomatoes are in the kitchen'?!" Sakura read only a few from the many chores out loud in a bewildered tone.

Sasuke smirked and turned around to walk back to the desk.

"If you don't like them, then I suggest you hurry up and finish them." He sat down behind the desk and started looking at papers.

Sakura felt herself start to get red with anger. The way he pushed her around and thought of her as weak really pissed her off. Swallowing her pride though, she knew it was best to just do has he said for now.

"And when would you like this done, sir?" She spoke in almost a malicious way, clearly annoyed. Sasuke looked up at her, challenging her annoyed gaze with his own.

"Before sunset." He said.

Sakura gave a slight nod and turned to leave. She was about to close the door when Sasuke's voice stopped her.

"Oh, and if you get it done any later then that, then I'll have a very… _Interesting_ , task for you to do." His voice was monotone, but when Sakura looked up to give him a horrified look, she saw him smirking.

"Understood." She snapped, slamming the door shut so she wouldn't have to look at that handsome-stupid-looking face anymore.

She turned around and, out of her anger, stopped her foot like an annoyed child would. She crossed her arms and huffed, clearly annoyed. When she looked up she saw only a few faces looking her way which quickly averted their gaze. Sighing, she walked over to the net that was used to get to the crows nest. Looking to the top of the mast, her stomach knotted slightly at the look at it. It sure was way up there… Swallowing her doubts, she took another deep breath to gather her courage. She then put a brave smile on her face.

"Before sunset you say…" Sakura grabbed the rope and swung herself up, slightly wobbling before getting her balance. "Just you watch then… I'll have these tasks done by noon!" She began to climb the net.

* * *

Hinata sighed and sat down in the captains chair, burying her face in her hands. She had lost Captain Naruto and then got lost on the ship, and since she was too fearful to ask anyone if they knew where the Captain might be, she scurried off to find her way to the captains cabin and was currently waiting for him to show up. Hinata had been waiting for a while and, while doing so, she decided to clean the cabin as she waited. She had cleaned almost every nook and cranny but still, the captain hadn't shown up. Hinata had wondered many times if she should leave and go seek him out like any normal person probably would have done, but she was always turned off by the thought of him showing up at any time while she wasn't there.

At this point, the desk was the only thing Hinata hadn't touched while cleaning. It had papers and trinkets on it of things that seemed important to the ship and all of that, so she thought it best to leave it alone. Trailing her fingers along the wooden desk, she couldn't help but gaze at some of the papers on the table… She noticed a few written notes, trading forms, some lists of items and weapons. And then, she saw something quite strange. Her heartbeat started to quicken as she looked at one of the papers buried beneath others. The only words that were visible to Hinata were "Trading Women". Hinata's eyes widened as ideas of what this could mean started to form in her head.

There was no way Captain Naruto was actually trading women… He couldn't be in that kind of business. This must be a mistake! But her thoughts were already running wild with this idea.

 _He is a pirate! He's been too kind to me! Maybe that's why he's trying to keep us here! I've noticed there's not many other girls on this ship… What if I say something and they truly lock me up?_ Hinata started to quiver at the theories.

Hinata started to reach a shaking hand out, about to grab the paper to see for herself. Suddenly, she heard shouting outside the doors of the cabin.

"Don't forget it men! We have to find her!" It was Naruto's voice.

Hinata jumped from the chair, about to run out of the room when Naruto came bursting in, looking upset. Hinata gasped and stumbled back, tripping over her own feet she fell backwards, landing right on her rump. Fear froze her as she looked up to meet the sparkling blue eyes of her intimidator.

"Hinata!" Naruto's face flooded with relief. He crouched in front of her and took her by the shoulders, looking into her fear stricken eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a worried and serious tone.

Hinata was still shaking in fear, afraid of what was going on now. She really didn't understand… She thought he was so nice!

"Hinata? …" Naruto prompted.

"I-I'm f-fine!" Hinata squeaked out.

Naruto sighed in relief and sat back on the floor.

"Gosh you gave me a fright! I've been looking for you everywhere! Once I realized you were gone I couldn't stop thinking the worst was going to happen. Heh, well I'm just glad you're safe. Where did you go and why did you come here?" He asked, looking at the girl.

Hinata was in the middle of having an internal battle though. If Naruto was in fact in the slavery business and selling women then Hinata was certainly in danger. But, it could just all be a misunderstanding and he could actually be concerned for her well being! But then again, she had heard him yelling at the others to find her. Was there something she couldn't find out?

"Hinata? Are you sure you're okay?" Naruto placed a hand on her knee, trying to get her attention.

Hinata gave a small shriek and scooted back, bringing a hand up to her heart. She had to ask him! She just had to!

"C-Captain Narut-to… Are y-you… Are you t-trading women?" Her eyes looked into his, and Naruto caught a glimpse of something he had never seen in Hinata before.

Hinata was shy and timorous, but when Naruto looked into her eyes now, all he could see was fiery determination and strength. But he was also extremely confused by her question.

Sweat-dropping, Naruto looked at Hinata in a perplexed manner.

"S-Sorry, Hinata, but what?" He asked.

"Y-You heard m-me!" Hinata peeped.

Naruto lost his good humored smile and looked Hinata dead in the eyes.

"What would make you think that I was in that kind of business?" He spoke in a serious tone.

Hinata looked at him surprised for a second before frowning back.

"Th-there's a form on your desk…" She almost whispered.

Naruto stood immediately and walked around his desk and started moving around papers. Hinata stood slowly, watching him carefully. Grabbing a paper from the table, Naruto straightened and held it out for Hinata to take. Hinata was hesitant, but when she looked at Naruto's face she knew there was no walking away from this. She slowly took the paper that was offered to her. Turning it around…

"Trading Women's clothes." She spoke softly. So many emotions started to run rampant through her body, but the prominent one was relief.

And then regret.

Bowing lowly to Naruto, Hinata made a tight fist in front of her chest.

"I apologize g-greatly! I d-didn't know…" Tears started to form in her eyes. She shouldn't have doubted him so quickly…

"Hinata, look at me." Naruto's voice was surprisingly soft.

Slowly, Hinata's head rose to look at Naruto.

Lavender met shining blue.

"You have nothing to apologize for or fear. I want you to know that as long as you're on this ship, _my_ ship, I will do my best to protect you." His voice was filled with resolution.

Hinata felt her chest swell with happiness, thinking about how lucky she had been to have met such a wonderful person. Stepping forward, she gave the paper back to him and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Th-thank you, Captain Naruto." She said softly.

Naruto broke out into a large grin then, smiling brightly to Hinata. He sat down in his chair and started to fiddle with an instrumental device that he most likely used for mapping when he started to look around. A moment passed before anything else was said.

"Hinata… Did you clean in here?" Naruto asked confused.

Hinata nodded her head, looking away sheepishly.

"When I g-got lost, I c-came here to wait f-for you and cleaned while w-waiting." She explained.

Naruto's face shown of realization then.

"Oh! So that's what happened to you! I had no idea where you disappeared to and got really worried." Standing up, Naruto started heading for the door but stopped and turned around to look at Hinata.

"Well, I have things I need to talk over with the Master Gunner and then get report from the Boatswain. Stay extra close not to get lost this time, too." Naruto winked and opened the door, waiting for a now furiously blushing Hinata to go through.

He smiled. Today was going to be a great day.

* * *

Sakura was happy. She was _extremely_ happy. Hinata and her had been sent to get the captains their lunch, and were now cheerfully chatting as they made their way back to the captains cabin. Naruto and Sasuke were in a meeting with the Boatswain, getting report for the day. At this point, nothing could bring Sakura down.

Holding the lunch tray in one hand, Sakura tapped on the glass and waited for a second before entering with Hinata close behind.

"Good afternoon!" She greeted merrily.

The girls over to a table in the room, placing the trays down so they could better put their lunch together.

Hinata went and placed Naruto's plate in front of him, Sakura doing the same with Sasuke.

"Ah, thank you so much, Hinata!" Naruto smiled happily.

Naruto waved a hand over to the other man in the room, gesturing to him in a greeting way.

"This is Nara Shikamaru, the Boatswain on this fine vessel." Naruto mentioned.

Hinata gave a small bow and a soft smile. Shikamaru nodded his head once, looking slightly bored.

Sakura turned and set Sasuke's lunch down, still grinning widely. Sasuke glanced up and Sakura and raised an eyebrow in question.

"What are you so happy about?" He inquired, though he didn't care _that_ much.

He then got a paper shoved into his face.

He barely jumped, but instead snatched the paper away in a quick motion, showing signs of annoyance. Scanning the paper with his dark eyes, he was silent for a moment.

"Why have you given this back to me?" He set the list down that he had given Sakura earlier this morning.

"I finished." Sakura put her hands on her hips in a smug way. How great it felt to throw this back at him!

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"You're lying." He concluded.

"I am not! I finished the jobs I was given." Shifting her weight to one foot, she lifted a finger up to her chin pretending to think. "Hmm… Actually, since I'm finished, I guess that means I'm dismissed for the day." She looked directly at Sasuke, as if she was challenging him.

To Sasuke, this was all extremely new. Never had anyone spoke to him like Sakura was doing now, declaring herself free from a days work like she owned the place. There were no signs of fear or uneasiness, not even as she stared him down now, challenging him to make a scene. Well, Sasuke wasn't going to play into her plan. He wasn't one for petty arguments and unnecessary situations that could easily be defused by a smirk and glance away.

He was surprised however, for he never would have thought that she could have gotten those tasks done so easily and effectively. When he first met her, she was a small and afraid girl, running from a man in the dark. But now, as she stood before him, she was a hard working woman of her word who could pull her own weight. He's already witnessed her loyalty to Hinata, and he wondered if she'd show any more of it to anyone else. She certainly was an interesting individual.

"Ch, fine." Turning away, he planned on starting to eat.

Sakura was taken slightly aback, thinking that her declaration of discharge for the rest of the day would shake him up a bit more. Narrowing her eyes though, she didn't let it stop her.

"Great." She glanced at Hinata, who she had asked to take care of the tray for her before they walked in and smiled. "See you later." And with that, she swept out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her.

Finally, she was free to explore.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Ah! It's finally done! This chapter is more of a light one, building relationships and character development stuff. There will certainly be more action as well as depth and plotline in the later chapters, but for now it's a bit of fluff.**

 **If you're wondering why I haven't explained what the ship looks like... It's because it's a pirate ship. I trust that you at least know the basics of what it would look like. xD I'm trying to compromise as well, since I want this story to be understandable to every individual that reads it, instead of just someone who understands everything about ships and pirates.**

 **If you have a favorite character who has not yet made an appearance, leave a review and tell me who you may like to see and in what role in the story! I do have some plans for a few characters, so if they don't show up yet, don't be too quick to complain lol. The Master Gunner role is still open though I myself have a few ideas... Let me know what you think!**

 **Much love~**


	4. Chapter 4: Just The Way Things Are

**Disclaimer: I really don't own anything, I swear!**

* * *

Sakura's day had started out great. She had made sure Hinata was comfortable, and she had shown Sasuke that she wasn't some weak girl, she was now free to do as she pleased. So now, as the bright afternoon sun tried to make it's way through the boards of the ship, Sakura was running for her life.

Her boots splashed in a puddle as she raced along a wall that bordered the ships insides. Her breathing was ragged, and her feet ached from running so much, but she couldn't stop. She made a sharp turn, trying to throw off her pursuer who wasn't far behind the pink haired beauty. She flew passed crew members who looked at her like she was insane, but a moment later, when they saw who was chasing her, their faces relaxed with realization.

Sakura had to think fast, the kitchen wasn't far off, but the turn to the main deck would be passed between that time, so it was the main deck or the kitchen. Thinking fast, Sakura turned to sprint up the steps only to find two men carrying a barrel below decks, completely blocking the pathway. Stumbling back, Sakura glanced behind her to meet two warm brown eyes. Gasping, she turned and started to race for the kitchen.

Stepping foot in the doorway, Sakura spun around and slammed the door shut, pressing her back against it to keep the crazy individual at bay. Sighing, Sakura took deep breaths to steady herself. She pressed her head against the smooth wood and listened. Hearing nothing, she slowly pushed off the door and started to look about the kitchen for a moment. Looking around, she noticed that the table and chairs in the dining area were occupied by a few men and looked cleaner than earlier when she had been here. In fact, the whole area looked brighter and cleaner than before. Looking to the kitchen, she saw a flash of blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Sakura froze.

It couldn't be… It just couldn't be… Sakura's gut began to twist and illogical thoughts started to crowd her mind. It was in no way possible that this very person could be on this boat. It had to be a mistake, someone else.

As Sakura took a step in the direction of her new interest, the door she had hoped would never open was practically kicked off it's hinges and almost immediately the barrel of a pistol made contact with her forehead.

"Gotcha." The voice was laced with smug pride, and Sakura would have retorted if she hadn't been so distracted.

However, the door being kicked down had brought a lot of attention to the two individuals, making all eyes turn to them. Those sparkling blue eyes… Having turned to look that way, they were now widened in pure surprise.

There was silence.

And then a high pitched voice pierced the stillness with an exclamation of shock.

"Forehead?!"

* * *

Sasuke tried to hide his annoyance as he sat through the rest of the meeting with Shikamaru and Naruto. After being "shown up" by Sakura, he was extremely irritated. More so than usual.

It was a while before their meeting was finished, and and almost immediately before Naruto dismissed Shika, Sasuke stood up and took long strides to leave the seemingly confining room at the time.

"Just a moment, Sasuke. I need to speak with you." Naruto said quickly, not wanting him to leave just yet.

Sasuke felt anger bubble up inside of him, but he held himself. Naruto was his friend, sure, but he was also his captain. Despite his internal desires to be free from this place and do his work outside, he had to show respect.

Shikamaru stood and gathered papers lazily. When he walked past Sasuke to leave, he smirked slightly.

"Have fun." He muttered and left.

Annoyed by his comment, Sasuke made a grunting noise and went to sit down in front of Naruto.

"What is it?" He sighed.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, looking stressed and tired, despite it only being around the afternoon. Folding his hands in front of him on the desk, he looked a bit more serious than before.

"Listen, Sasuke, I understand that you're annoyed by these girls being on the ship, but you need to show them some form of respect. They really haven't done anything wrong at all, and you're acting like a douche. Do I need to order you to be nicer? Or…" Naruto let his sentence hang in the air, wanting Sasuke to understand.

He certainly understood why Sasuke was acting the way he was, but he was being a bit too excessive. Naruto didn't plan on this happening, but so far he didn't mind it. Hinata was a very nice girl, and having her follow him around was pretty fun for him. Of course he understood that Sasuke was extremely different and most likely hated the constant company, but he shouldn't be so mean to Sakura. It's not like she had a choice to be here or not…

Sighing, Sasuke leaned back and folded his arms. Though Sasuke was annoyed, he knew Naruto was right. He'd just have to put up with it for the rest of the week…

"You don't have to order me to do anything. I'll do as you ask." Sasuke said, replying to his previous statement.

Naruto smiled, looking relieved.

"Don't worry, Sasuke, it'll just be us soon again. We'll sail on our adventure just like we've always planned!" Naruto explained enthusiastically.

Sasuke dropped his attitude then. If Naruto was good at only one thing in this world, it was rubbing his happiness off on other people.

"I'm holding you to that, dobe." He smirked and stood up.

"Yeah yeah. Now go do your job, teme!" Naruto laughed.

Walking to the door in a slightly better mood, Sasuke was about to leave when Naruto said one last thing.

"Oh, and apologize to Sakura."

Sasuke's good mood had lasted for less than three seconds.

* * *

Sakura was still in shock.

She was currently sitting at a table with a cup of tea in her hands with her long lost best friend talking to her previous pursuer. She had so many emotions bubbling up inside of her, she really didn't know what to do. The tea barely helped calm her, and all she felt like doing was screaming right now. Confusion and pain whirled about in the girls mind, battling for her attention while a dusting of red colored her cheeks in a small flush of anger and sadness. Though the happiness and adrenaline she felt excited her, making her tap her foot on the ground and her fingers against her cup. Whispers of torment and tenderness would sometimes leave her pouting lips, soft and low enough for no one to hear. She bit back tears and fought away joy, unable to understand what was going on.

The Master Gunner was currently talking to the one who was causing Sakura such dilemma, chatting like old friends. Sakura wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but instead watched the other determined and lighthearted dame.

"Well, I have to get back now. See you later, Sakura! Maybe we can try that again sometime." She laughed, nudging Sakura who pretty much ignored her.

"See you later, Tenten!" The blonde smiled.

Sitting down, the blue eyed beauty sighed excitedly and waited for the first question to be thrown her way. But after a moment of silence, nothing came. Sakura was just, staring at her… Well, she wasn't one for silence.

"So Sakura, how have you been?" She started off.

There was more silence.

Sweat-dropping, she decided to just keep talking.

"Y-you know, I really missed you! It's been what, almost fourteen years? You look pretty good! Though you still have that large forehead of yours! I've been keeping well myself honestly. I've seen so many beautiful things! I really wanted to share them with you, but alas, I couldn't… It's been a wonderful time though, really! If I had the chance-" Sakura stood suddenly and slammed her tea cup down. The blonde looked up at her in shock and finally noticed the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I-Ino, I thought you were dead! We _all_ thought you were dead!" Sakura covered her face as the emotions became too much for her to handle. She started to softly sob as she remembered the pain she had went through.

Ino was silent, feeling the guilt she had tried so hard to get rid of come back.

"Sakura…" Ino really didn't know how to console her friend.

It was true that Ino had run away when she was ten, seeking adventure for her life. She had left everyone behind, her family, her friends… She had told no one of where she was going since she didn't even know herself. She didn't even leave an explanation or anything like that, she just up and disappeared. She did miss everyone once in a while, but she had caught a job on a ship as a kitchen rat, and from then on her love for sailing had truly taken off. Growing up in a port city, she already understood many things about boats and ships and all of that lovely stuff, so taking a job on one wasn't bad at all.

But alas, all she had truly done was hurt people.

Ino stood up and walked over to Sakura, about to touch her on the shoulder when she thought otherwise. She didn't have the right to touch someone she had hurt so much… Sighing, she turned around and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you, Sakura… I'll avoid you for the rest of the trip if you want. I understand if you hate me." Ino took a step forward before her hand was grasped tightly from behind. Turning around, she saw Sakura's bright green eyes shining through tears that now made their way down her beautiful face.

She then saw something that shocked her more than death itself.

A smile.

"I don't hate you, Ino. I miss you." Sakura pulled Ino in for a tight, well overdue hug.

The girls spent the next several hours talking with one another about their lives. Sakura told Ino of how she caught a job at the Hyuuga estate and her adventure of running away and ending up on the ship. Ino told her story of having been looking for the main cook role upon a ship and how she ended up seeing the flyer for crew members for this one a while back. Having been excited, she jumped at the opportunity to be running her own kitchen and now worked as a cook on the Sharinkitsune. The girls moved on into the kitchen while they talked, preparing food for the crew as they talked. It was a good time for the both of them. They both spoke to one another as if they hadn't seen each other in a few days, not years.

Hours later, the girls were still speaking to one another in the kitchen while cleaning up from the dinner rushes along with a few others. You'd think they might have run out of topics to speak on, but that wasn't so for them. They talked the night away, and Sakura felt happy. For years, she had thought Ino was dead. That was one of the reasons as to why she was so clingy and loyal to Hinata, having developed fears of abandonment and rejection after her parents died, and Ino disappearing.

Sighing, the blonde stood from her place at the table, stretched and yawned.

"Well, Forehead, I think it's about time we put all this on hold. I have to get up early, y'know! Being the cook, the food always has be ready early on! We'll be able to talk tomorrow right?" She questioned, placing a hand on her hip.

Sakura stood as well, smiling at Ino.

"If we don't, I'll make sure you're dead this time." She winked.

Ino laughed and hugged Sakura tightly.

"I'm happy I've found you." She whispered.

Sakura pat Ino's back.

"I'm happy too."

* * *

Sasuke was making a few last rounds before heading off to bed. He had one more thing to check before he was finally free to be alone, wanting that more than anything at this point. He walked across the clean deck of the Sharinkitune, the only sound being his boots hitting the dry wooden boards and the sea crashing against the ship. A few crew members were out for their night shift, but no one bothered him. Sighing, he head up the stairs to the top deck to check with one of the navigational members.

Reaching the top, he stopped up short. There, standing at the back of the ship, looking up at the heavens above, was Sakura. He shook his head once, scolding himself for being caught off guard for no reason at all. Stepping up, he went to the man who was currently keeping the ship on it's course.

Sasuke didn't look, but he knew Sakura had noticed him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her sweep a lock of hair behind her ear and wipe her face with the back of her hand. He made a mental note to inquire nonchalantly about what was the matter with her.

Not that he cared at all, though.

Exchanging a few words with the brunette at the wheel, he figured out what he needed to know. Sasuke nodded his head and then turned to the other matter at hand. And he thought he was done for the night…

He took a few strides over to where he was now a foot away from Sakura, who was leaning against the railing and pretending that she hadn't noticed him, even though she clearly had.

Though he planned on talking to her, he was suddenly unsure about how to start a conversation. He wasn't usually the one to do so, and when he did he always had a good reason to. Right now, he didn't. However Sakura was kind enough to save him from his inward battle on what would be the correct thing to say first.

"Do you know someone on the ship named Yamanaka Ino?" Sakura's soft voice broke the silence.

"Yamanaka Ino? You mean the head cook?" Sasuke was surprised by what she asked, but didn't question it.

Sakura nodded her head.

"Yeah, her…"

There was more silence.

Sighing, Sakura turned around and leaned her back against the railing looking up at the twinkling stars above. She wondered why Sasuke was by her, unmoving and not speaking. She would have thought that he was angry about what happened earlier today, but nonetheless it was odd.

"Ino used to live in Port Konoha with me. We were best friends until she apparently ran away years and years ago." Sakura said, unknowing why she was telling him this. Maybe she just needed someone to talk to who wouldn't blabber about. Goodness knows Sasuke would never gossip.

"What do you mean by apparently? Are you unsure about whether she ran away or not?" Sasuke inquired, taking advantage of the topic to continue conversation.

"We thought she had died. She didn't leave any notes or anything, she just disappeared. All those years and I thought she was dead…" Sakura turned away from Sasuke, for tears threatened to fall. There was so much pain being remembered at this time…

Sasuke, on the other hand, felt extremely uncomfortable. He hadn't known Sakura for that long at all and he had already seen so many sides of her that she most likely wouldn't have shown to many people. What an interesting creature she is…

"Sakura…" Sasuke reached a hand out and touched her hand, thinking that it was even softer than it appeared. Sakura jumped slightly and turned around in almost a frightened manner to look at him.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat when he saw her, an unexpected wave of shock overcame him and he was silent.

The moonlight shown beautifully bright, casting down light and bathing the two in silver. The stars blazed above them, and the ocean wind swept across the deck, swirling around them both and making Sakura's hair blow softly. Sasuke was caught by her shining emerald green eyes, thinking them even more intriguing than the skies above.

Sakura was shocked that Sasuke had even touched her, and now he kept looking at her with those intense, beautiful black and red speckled eyes. She felt as if she had been captured, unable to look away from them. He seemed to be studying her, which made her feel slightly self-conscious of his never-ending gaze. For a moment it looked as if he was leaning in, but a second later he was unmoving. Maybe that had been her imagination… Sakura was suddenly very aware of how close the two really were, and, in turn, couldn't help but glance at his thin lips, which were in a slight line of discomfort.

An unexpected wave of avidity washed over Sakura, making her quickly glance up at Sasuke, clearly awaiting the moments to come, wanting to see what the next move would be.

Sasuke suddenly dropped Sakura's hand and turned away swiftly.

"Get some sleep. You have a lot to do tomorrow." He said abruptly, walking away.

Sakura stood there in shocked silence, unmoving and suddenly confused. She watched him go, his broad shoulders and dark hair quickly disappearing from her view as he went down the deck stairs. Slowly, Sakura turned back to the railing and stared out at the dark waters below, bewildered and distressed.

Sasuke's head was sightly cloudy for once in his life. He couldn't make sense of it all, the situation that had just occurred and why he had been so out of it. He scolded himself fiercely for having been so taken aback. His boots thumped loudly as he made his way across the deck, the wind growing stronger. Sighing, he rejoiced in the fact that he could just go to bed now.

Opening the hatch to the decks below, he started to descend into the darkness.

* * *

 ***Covers head and tries to duck away from the firing bullets* I'M SORRY! I'M REALLY SORRY, OKAY?! I HAVE GOOD EXCUSES FOR NOT UPLOADING! I SWEAR!**

 **But first let's talk about this chapter- It was difficult to write, yeah, but also pretty fun and heartfelt. I'd greatly appreciate it if you guys would review and tell me what you thought of the heavy theme of Ino running away and things like that. Do you want it more serious? Do you want to keep it fluffy? What do you think of the relationship status right now? Let me all know in a review!**

 **I again apologize for the wait on the upload, but it's here at last, right? I'll skip the excuses too lol, you don't need to hear them. (just know that they were real!) I'll catch you guys later!**

 **Much love from this little Spinner's heart to yours!**


	5. Chapter 5: Scarlet Feelings

**Some quick definitions:**

Corsair:

A pirate.

Conclave:

A private meeting.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto it would be an absolute mess so just count your blessings that I don't.**

* * *

"Make sure those ropes are tied tight! Unstack those barrels before they fall and take those crates below deck!" Naruto's strong voice reached to all of the crews ears, making them groan. The waters had begun to arise, spraying the ship's company with salt water every time a wave crashed into the side of the Sharinkitsune.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, casting a vibrant crimson red tint to everything it's light could touch which made Naruto's golden hair look as if it was made of pure fire. He turned around and ran up the stairs to the top deck where Hinata was currently untying a knotted rope.

"Hey, Hinata? Could you do something for me, please?" Naruto asked in a more of a rushed voice.

Hinata dropped the rope and stood up, wiping her hands off on her black plants.

"O-of course. What i-is it?" She replied hurriedly.

"The deck up here has to be wiped down with a wood protectant. We were suppose to do it at the port, but we never got to it. The person who I would have do it is currently seasick, and I need it done before any storms hit. I hate to ask you to do this, because you deserve a higher job than something along these lines…"

"I'll do it." Hinata said firmly, never wanting to refuse a job that she was given.

"Thanks a bunch." Naruto sighed in relief. "You can go ahead and ask Kiba where to find the solution for the protectant, and you can just treat it as if you were mopping. I've got a meeting with the navigation crew, so I'll talk to you later. Oh- and you can do those other jobs I asked you to do earlier as well."

Hinata gave a slight bow and smiled. "Of course."

Naruto nodded his head once and turned, quickly going back down the stairs. On his way down the stairs he passed Sasuke, but quickly stopped him.

"Sasuke! I'm on my way to the navigational meeting, but I need you to continue to direct the storm preparation, just incase one blows in. You know better than a lot of this crew how fast storms can appear." Naruto said solemnly.

Sasuke nodded his head.

"No worries, I'll take care of it." He said.

Naruto thanked him and quickly made his way into the Captain's Cabin- _his_ cabin.

Sasuke finished walking up the stairs and continued to inspect the sails and the crew. He sighed, knowing what storm preparation meant. He turned and faced everyone.

"Prepare to put the masts up at any time! Don't just double knot anything, but triple knot it! If there are loose barrels or containers you must put them below deck and ensure that they're stable! Don't leave anything half-assed and don't screw shit up! We have one ship, let's keep it in shape!" Sasuke turned to Sakura who had followed him up here who was currently speaking to Hinata, the two discussing things unknown to him.

"Sakura," Sasuke called to get her attention. "Make a note that I have to double check everything on my rounds tonight." His deep voice requested.

Sakura gave a slight nod of her head, indicating that she would do just that. She was carrying another list, but this time it was for Sasuke. She quickly wrote down as she was told, flicking her light hair out of her face.

She had told Hinata of Sasuke's strange actions last night, but hadn't voiced the fact that she had been completely enraptured by his close presence. She shook it off as feeling homesick and wanting to confide in someone.

"Also, make a note that the amount of gunpowder has been decreasing for unknown reasons and that we need to buy a new stock when we reach Port Suna." Sasuke continued.

Sakura put her hand on her hip and tilted her head in a sign of playfulness.

"Should I also put milk and bread on the shopping list?" She sassed.

Sasuke shot her a glare.

"There's hardly anything on that list that needs to be bought at the port." He retorted.

Sakura let a high-pitched laughter escape her rosey lips, unable to contain herself.

"As if! It's hardly anything but a shopping list! Just look, you want bolts, fabric, planks, swords-"

"All of which we need." He interrupted her.

"Yes, but that just proves it's nothing less than a shopping list. Sure it has a few chores on here you have to do, but not much by any means." She argued.

"Why the hell are you even trying to make a point here? I have far more important things to do than talk to you about this." Sasuke stated, starting his way down the steps again.

Sakura looked at Hinata and rolled her eyes, making Hinata giggle. Could he really not take a joke?

Sighing, Sakura started to follow him down the stairs, already seeing him close to the bottom she started to hurry up. She was almost on the main deck when she lost her footing and started to fall forward. She squeaked, her mind racing incredibly fast those few seconds as she fell. Sasuke was right in front of her, and she imagined he'd catch her easily.

 _Sasuke turned and saw the pink haired beauty start to fall. He stepped closer and caught her in his strong arms, her head coming to rest on his hard toned chest. He steadied her and made sure she was on her feet okay before looking into her sparking virescent eyes. "Are you all right, Sakura?" His deep voice softly hummed out, the question only meant for her ears to hear._

 _Sakura looked up and nodded her head. "Thanks to you." She whispered._

 _Sasuke moved a piece of soft bubblegum hair out of her face. "I'm glad you're unharmed…" He was so close to her… If she leaned in any more they would most certainly be kissing. She started to lean in, his face an inch or so away from hers…_

Sakura hit the hard wooden floor with a thump and a groan.

"Sakura!" Hinata's voice called down from the steps. Hinata had watched the poor girl loose her footing and totally face-plant on the wooden surface in front of a few crew members. She watched as the girl rolled over and looked up.

Sakura took a deep breath and looked up to see Sasuke's eyes on her.

"What the hell, Sasuke?!" She exclaimed. He looked surprised at her outburst.

"What did I do?" He asked, slightly taken aback.

"It's what you _didn't_ do, dumbass!" She sat up and rubbed her head.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, wanting nothing more but to continue to work. Work gave him what he needed- an escape. He relished in work, he breathed work, that's all he would do. From the moment he woke up to the moment he laid down, it was all about doing his job in making sure this ship ran smooth and steady. Naruto was the captain, yes, which means he had to make all the tough decisions while Sasuke made sure to carry them out. They had known each other for many years, basically grew up together in fact- so working together was a breeze for them both. It was natural. They knew each other better than they knew anyone else, and nothing could change that. For as much shit as they gave each other, they would do anything to ensure the safety of one another. Sasuke had never felt that way about anyone else.

Until now.

For some reason, this pink haired girl had peeked his interest from the beginning and he didn't exactly know how or why. And as of right now, he refused to think about it.

He walked over in front of her and held out his hand.

Sakura looked up at him, the sun shining in her eyes. The morning light had increased, turning to an orangey-gold that now washed over Sasuke, making his light skin look bronzed to perfection. She took his hand and stood up, her eyes locked on his.

"Are you okay?" He asked almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks." Sakura muttered, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Sakura looked up at him and wondered why she had even imagined kissing him. She most certainly had no feelings whatsoever except apathy for this human.

"Great! Now move your ass! We've got work to do." He dropped her hand and started heading to the other side of the ship to keep directing.

Sakura sighed and rubbed her elbow as she followed.

"Oh yeah, no desire here at all." She muttered as he called for her to write down yet another thing they needed from the port.

* * *

Hinata had finished wiping the deck down with the substance Naruto had directed her to use. It was looking all fresh and new now, especially because Hinata had scrubbed and cleaned it before putting the layers of shielding on. Hinata stood proud as she admired her work, dragging her arm across her brow to get rid of some pesky sweat as she secretly commended herself.

It was almost lunchtime. Hinata knew this because she had watched the sun climb it's way up the beautiful blue sky, it's light sometimes being blocked by a cloud, giving the crew members atop the ship a break from the blazing sun.

A little bit later, Hinata was carrying Naruto's food up from the kitchen, a slight discomfort could be felt in her hands. She shrugged it off, not caring too much. She emerged from the dark decks below and made her way to the Captain's Cabin, avoiding eye contact with people by watching the wooden boards in front of her pass.

Hinata balanced the tray on one hand and lightly tapped on the frosted glass.

"Room service." She called in a sweet teasing voice.

"Come in." Naruto laughed.

Opening the door, she secured the tray with both hands, finished opening the door with her hip and closed it with her foot on the way in. She had a bright smile on her face as she neared Naruto, who was moving papers out of the way for his food.

Honestly, Hinata had made Naruto's life so much easier now that she was here. It wasn't that he didn't have someone to bring him food or do any of the things he asked, but to have someone constantly there for him whenever he needed it was very reassuring. He liked it, and knew not to take it for granted. He liked having Hinata as his assistant.

"Thank you." He sighed, his stomach grumbling at the sight of a fresh bowl of ramen.

"Mm." Hinata replied happily.

While Naruto ate he kept looking at the papers that were in front of him, not knowing what to do. His meeting with the navigation crew had finished awhile ago and he was still struggling to find a solution for the situation. Naruto sighed and put them down, not wanting to look at them anymore during this time. Instead, he watched Hinata move gracefully about the room, tidying things up and putting books back on the shelves that Naruto had gotten out for reference.

She tucked a piece of long black hair behind her ear while trying to figure out where one book went, holding her finger up to her rosey lips as she pondered her options. She noticed a vacant spot where two books fell against each other in an attempt to fill the void between them. Hinata easily slid the book in place and continued to go about her work. She found a rag in a box of things on a bottom shelf and started to dust away, always finding something productive to do. Naruto had almost completely forgotten about his food, being entranced by her colorful presence. Yes, colorful. Though timid and shy, Hinata was vibrant and bright, completely radiant. It also interested Naruto that she had absolutely no idea of this at all.

Hinata's brows furrowed in confusion as she picked up a book that she missed, having no idea where to put it. Turning to Naruto, her eyes flicked up and her mouth opened to ask where it was supposed to go when she met his blazing blue eyes, it being apparent that he had been watching for a while due to the way he quickly looked away and started to practically inhale his food in an attempt to act innocent.

A light blush turned his ears pink and dusted his nose and cheekbones with scarlet feelings. However Hinata's face had completely turned tomato red, so it didn't matter. However they both now refused to look at each other, making it easier for the both of them.

"Ah-um, where d-does this b-book go?" Hinata asked, stuttering more than usual.

Naruto pointed to a bookshelf to his right, now very, _very_ , interested in the papers he was studying before Hinata had gotten here.

Hinata glanced over Naruto's shoulder as she waited for him to finish his food and saw what he was looking at.

"What's that?" Hinata inquired. Naruto sighed, closing his eyes.

"It's navigation information about the week after stopping at Port Suna. Whenever we leave the port, we either have to sail straight through dangerous waters that usually always contain ugly storms, or take the long way around that area and add on almost a week of sailing. It would mean we either miss the annual Corsair Conclave, which we really need to be at, or I can put all my crew at risk and go through the sketchy waters." He spoke with disinclination.

Hinata took a breath, not knowing what to do herself.

"Hmm… I th-think talking with Captain Uchiha would h-help you make the right decision. Letting th-the rest of your crew know m-might help as well, since it also concerns them." Hinata said in comprehension of the situation at hand.

Naruto nodded his head, having already thought of that. Of course he would bring it up with the teme, knowing he couldn't make a choice like this on his own. Bringing it up with his crew, however, he hadn't thought of. Maybe asking them was a good idea…

"Thank you, Hinata. You've been very helpful." Naruto smiled up at her, making her flush and nod her head.

"H-happy to h-help." She said brightly.

Finishing his meal, Naruto followed Hinata out of the room but parted with her as she continued to head below deck and he headed up to the wheel of the ship. Naruto took over and was finally relaxed. Being in control of the grand vessel always made him at ease. It was something he enjoyed, something he took pride in doing ever since he got her. When Naruto was younger, he once had nothing to call his own but the clothes he was wearing. Being able to call this ship his, being able to name her and take care of her such as he was, it made him swell with pride and happiness. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his ship or his crew.

The sun streamed down in strong torrents, wrapping the environment and crew members in a warm embrace, it's golden light gleaming against the huge white sails. The wind blew with ease and the sea flowed with grace, it's deep blue waters shimmering in the beautiful afternoon sun, looking as if it was draped in a blanket of silky gold.

Naruto sighed, feeling lighthearted again. He continued to steer his ship, promising to bring up the topic of navigation later with Sasuke. For now, however, he continued on his way to the destination of Port Sunagakure.

* * *

Sakura breathed heavily as she continued to haul the rope that was slung over her shoulder to the top of the mast, Sasuke carrying two more as he climbed above her. She flicked the hair that flew into her face away, needing to see clearly. She watched as Sasuke reached the top, swung himself up in the wooden basket and discarded the ropes. Turning around, Sasuke watched as Sakura continued to conclude her ascent.

Sakura tried not to pant excessively hard when she took Sasuke's outstretched hand which easily helped her up into the Crows Nest. Without saying a word, he took the rope that was around her shoulder off and put it in the pile he had made with the others. He turned and watched as Sakura put her hands on the edge of the smooth wood, trying to steady her breathing. Sasuke hadn't thought Sakura was quite _that_ out of shape, judging from her thinner frame and well toned body. Something he had just noted, of course. He also noted that she didn't look down almost at all.

"Sakura," His sonorous voice started, making her jump slightly despite the softness of his speech. "Are you afraid of heights?"

Sakura turned to him, putting a hand up to the side of her face to block the sun. "W-why would you think that?" She asked.

Sasuke scrutinized her, making her feel put on the spot.

"It's a simple question with a simple answer. It's not like we don't all have our own fears that we have to deal with." Sasuke deadpanned.

Sakura sighed and looked off into the flowing blue sea.

"Yeah, I'm afraid of heights. I used to be okay with them until I watched my friend slip off her roof and break her leg. Now… Now I don't like them." Sakura sighed.

"You've always got a story for something…" Sasuke sighed.

Sakura glared at him. "Yeah? Well I bet you're afraid of something irrational too." Sakura pointed out.

Sasuke sighed and threw his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wood railing.

"I never said being afraid of heights was irrational. Being afraid of certain things such as butterflies or flowers- _That's_ irrational. Being afraid of heights or moths, that's completely logical." He shrugged.

Sakura's head snapped up and looked at him with wide eyes.

"You're afraid of moths?" She asked astonished.

Sasuke silently cursed himself and quickly turned his head away from Sakura's view.

"Of course not." He said briskly.

"Oh my gosh you totally are!" Sakura started to crack up, unable to control herself.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, letting her have her laugh.

"Uchiha Sasuke, brooding, dark, handsome, Uchiha Sasuke, afraid of moths!" Sakura gasped, still giggling.

"Handsome?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, questioning the characteristics Sakura had listed off.

That shut Sakura up real quick. She laughed nervously, looking at him with a blank expression.

"Pardon?" She laughed nervously.

"You know what you said." Sasuke smirked, watching as she got more flustered.

Sakura panicked. And exactly what do you do when you panic? You talk in another language of course!

"Je ne sais pas ce que vous parlez!" "(I do not know what you're talking about!") Sakura sang, hoping to throw him off.

"Oh vous ne faites pas?" ("Oh you do not?") Sasuke replied without missing a beat.

Sakura sweat-dropped.

"Tu connais le français?" ("You know French?") Sakura sighed, not really stating it as a question.

"Qui n'a pas?" ("Who doesn't/Who does not?") Sasuke joked.

"When the hell did you learn French?" Sakura asked, reverting back to their natural language.

"When did you learn French?" Sasuke shot back, both equally interested.

Sakura was about to say something when her stomach said something first, growling loudly for the both to hear. Sakura's ears grew pink, hoping Sasuke would ignore her stomach's rude outburst. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and hadn't eaten a lot since she knew she would be doing physical labor such as this later that day.

"Tell me over lunch. I'd like to know how a peasant girl like yourself learned a whole different language." Sasuke said, making his way over to the edge to climb down the net.

"Hey! Who ever said I was a peasant? Get back here!" Sakura called, following suite as Sasuke's head disappeared over the wooden railing.

* * *

Sakura sighed as she sat down on her cot, watching as Hinata finished brushing her hair. She looked down at her toes, lost in thought then. The Sharinkitsune had started to rock back and forth a bit more for the seas had begun to rise substantially. Sakura was very tired, the day prooving to be very taxing. Sakura was used to the physical labor, but the mental labor… That was something else. Heaving ropes, climbing nets, going up and down the deck stairs countlessly, all that she could handle just fine. It was dealing with the dull Uchiha was what really put a strain on her.

Though she was usually put together and calm, his random bursts of conversation and constant composure made her constantly overthink things. Sasuke was usually a quiet person around others, she observed, and didn't usually speak unless to agree or correct someone. It was different when he was directing the crew, however, because then you couldn't shut him up. All he was doing was giving out commands and correcting people on their job. It was expected of him, something he was used to doing it would seem.

But this didn't explain why when they were alone he always seemed interested enough to continue conversation with her.

"Sakura, could you braid my hair please?" Hinata asked, breaking the pink haired beauty's concentration.

Sighing, Sakura let her thoughts go, no longer wanting to think about them.

"Of course." Sakura smiled at Hinata sweetly, waiting for her to sit down.

Hinata went and sat down in front of Sakura, allowing Sakura to run her hands through Hinata's long soft hair before beginning the braid at the top of the head and started to make her way down. They were both silent as Sakura worked, both seemingly wrapped in their own thoughts.

"Hinata, are you happy?" Sakura voiced suddenly, not having asked her in a long time.

Hinata didn't answer right away, because she knew that Sakura meant more than what the simple question provided. Hinata thought of her answer, considering the pros and cons of her situation before coming to a conclusion.

"Yes, I am." Hinata's soft voice said.

Sakura was silent, thinking as she continued to take pieces of Hinata's hair and weave them together. It had been a while since Sakura had done Hinata's hair, the both of them being busy and tired at the end of the nights previously.

"Are you happy, Sakura?" Hinata asked.

"I'm happy if you are." Sakura replied without missing a beat.

Though it was the answer Hinata wanted to hear, it still made her frown. She wasn't completely convinced that Sakura was truly happy, and at this point, that's all she wanted for her.

Hinata was about to say something when the boat suddenly lurched, making Sakura and Hinata lean to the right before they quickly righted themselves.

"That was strange…" Sakura said, starting to braid Hinata's hair at a faster pace.

"It w-was probably just a wave." Hinata said quickly trying to reassure herself more than Sakura.

Sakura reached the end of Hinata's hair and quickly tied it while admiring her smooth work. Hinata reached behind her and pulled her braid to the side, smiling.

"Thank you." She said.

Sakura hugged the girl from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Hey, I know it's not easy for you to have gone through what you did, but I'm honestly really happy I'm here. I've always wanted to go on adventures, and if this is the start of one then I'm extremely happy about it. Plus, I've found Ino and you, so there's really nothing to complain about." Sakura reassured the girl, having sensed Hinata's dissatisfaction earlier.

Hinata looked at Sakura with skepticism.

"Promise?" She mumbled.

"I promise." Sakura gave Hinata a bright smile and got one in return.

Hinata hugged Sakura's arms that were wrapped around her shoulders before getting up and sliding under her own covers, searching for warmth under the thin blankets.

"Goodnight, Sakura." She breathed, her eyes already heavy.

"Goodnight." Sakura whispered as Hinata drifted into the unconscious state of rest.

 _ **CRASH! BOOM!**_

Sakura's eyes snapped open as she lurched out of bed by habit, coming to a standstill in her room. Hinata had sat up in bed, wondering what was going on. It felt as if they both had _just_ closed their eyes a moment before, though the half melted candle they both had forgotten to blow out told them otherwise.

The boat swayed and rocked, making Sakura feel slightly nauseous. They both heard shouting and yelling outside, loud footsteps and running. They looked at each other quickly, the both of them starting to worry.

Like a silent agreement, Hinata threw the covers off her and started to rush about their room, throwing on the clothes they had worn yesterday.

"Quickly! Oh, grab that for me!" Sakura said as she attempted to pull up the pants she was struggling to get on, pointing to the deep blue shirt on the back of the wooden chair. The boat jerked which sent Sakura crashing to the floor, having been standing on one leg at the time.

"Sakura!" Hinata said worriedly, wondering if the poor girl was alright.

"I'm fine!" Sakura said quickly, standing up and throwing off her nightgown and quickly putting on her shirt.

The girls were ready to go in less than two minutes, both putting on their boots as they opened the door and started exiting their current residence. The crew members were running about, shouting things to one another as they continued to hurry off to their own designated area at this time.

Sakura and Hinata started to run above decks, Sakura putting her light hair up in a bun as they ran. They emerged from below decks and instantly started getting pelted with rain. Gasping, the girls continued to run to the Captains Cabin or the wheel of the ship, they were unsure yet.

"There!" Sakura yelled to Hinata, pointing as she spotted Naruto at the wheel of his boat, both the girls bolting for him. The deck was sopping wet due to the rain and the boat constantly being sprayed with sea water every time they crashed into a wave.

The Sharinkitsune got hit hard with one of these waves, the top of the wave landing right on the main deck, just missing Sakura and Hinata but still spraying them down. Hinata squeaked as she almost fell, catching her footing at the last moment. Sakura turned and grabbed her hand, quickly pulling her along as they got to the start of the stairs which they quickly raced up.

"Naruto!" Sakura called over the shouting men and rain.

Naruto turned his head enough to see the two women drenched like the rest of the crew.

"Sakura! Find Sasuke!" Naruto shouted back to her, spinning the wheel to the right. "Hinata, stay with me!" Naruto called to Hinata, making note of her nod as he shouted to one of his crew members.

"N-Naruto! What's going on?!" Hinata almost shouted, not being used to the cold rain in her face and the tingly feeling on the back of her neck.

 _ **BOOM**_!

There was a flash a lightning followed by a loud thunder roll, making Hinata whimper slightly. She hated thunderstorms.

"This, Hinata, is only a minor storm. Prepare yourself for these next few hours! They're going to be hell." Naruto said gravely.

* * *

 **And that's concludes Chapter 5 of Naruto: The Seven Seas of Love!**

 **I'm currently working on chapter 6, so it should be out... 'soon'. However, reviews fuel inspiration! I didn't really want to be that person who tells everyone to review... but you should. You really should. Opinions help, good or bad. :)**

 **I have a few questions for you before you go though! First one is- do you think I should name chapters? Would you care? Do you like chapter names or not? I can go back and name chapters and name the ones to come, so just let me know your opinion on that.**

 **What was _your_ favorite part of this chapter? What ship do you like to read most about? What do you hope will happen in the next chapter? Let me know!**

 **Have a good one guys. Love you!**


	6. Chapter 6: Stormy Hearts

**Disclaimer: If I actually owned Naruto, nothing would be released on time.**

 **Caution: This chapter is much longer than the others, so prepare yourself.**

* * *

The dark waters rose and fell with every pulse of the sea, the waves rising and falling in their own dance as the rhythm of the rain kept time. The strong gloomy clouds above raged about, swirling and twisting with solemn determination as they cast down their cold torrents of water upon the mortals below. The cold wind whipped about, blowing harshly against those who tried to go against it, nipping cruelly at the ships company.

Yelling and shouting could be heard from every direction while the men ran about trying to keep everything in order. Sakura was sprinting across the deck trying to avoid running into other people as she searched for Sasuke. The rain pelted her back and ran down her face, stinging her eyes and making her spit out water. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck, making her uncomfortable and bothered. She reached the middle of the deck when a wave crashed into the side of the ship, the peak of it hitting down on the ship and completely drenching her in cold sea water. Sakura grabbed onto the mast and stood there for a moment, huffing in annoyance and irritation. She felt the cold sink into her bones and chill her inside and out, making her shake slightly. The air around her was humid and hot, she could tell, but it did nothing to help keep her warm. She let go of the mast and continued on her way to find Sasuke.

Sakura had scoured almost every inch of the ship above decks, figuring that Sasuke must be around here somewhere helping do something, but after a while of running around, Sakura still hadn't found him. Finally, she went and opened the hatch to the below decks, and went down the stairs to start searching for Sasuke down there. She was happy to get out of the rain for a while, her clothes being completely useless at this point. Though she'd never admit it, she was starting to get worried about Sasuke. He would have been above deck by now helping keep everything in order.

There were crew members running around in here too, doing their designated jobs and working to the best of their ability. It was almost completely dark down there, the lamps having gone out after being tossed around, their own wax most likely putting themselves out. Only a few were lit, casting ominous shadows that continued to dance and sway as the ship continued to lurch and rock.

Sakura was quick on her feet as she searched earnestly for Sasuke, but still with no avail. She was nearing her cabin and decided to run in there quickly to check if everything was still in order, not knowing if things had fallen over or rolled away. When she was near enough to see her door she noticed that there was a large crate in front of it, leaning against it unmoving. The crate looked as if it had thumped it's way in front of the door after a large wave moved the Sharinkitsune significantly. As she got closer, she started to hear banging coming from the inside of the door. She ran over to her door and tried to move the box away, but it was far heavier than she had assumed it would be. How it managed to move on it's own was beyond Sakura.

Sakura knocked sharply on her door, trying to be heard over the opposing outside sounds from the ships crew and such.

"Hello? Is someone in there?" She called loudly.

"Sakura!" It was Sasuke!

"Sasuke! Are you okay?" Sakura yelled.

"There's something jamming the door!" He called back, not answering her.

Sakura looked around for something to help move the crate since she couldn't do it herself. Finding a board of wood, she ran back over and jammed it under the larger box as best she could, using the board for leverage as she pried the board back and forth. She got it to a point where it finally clunked over to where she could just barely push it away from the door. She groaned as it finally slid away, not by much but enough to at least get the door open. She flew to the door and flung it ajar only to see Sasuke standing there, only a little damp with a noticeably bad attitude.

"Thank you." Sasuke said quickly as he exited Sakura's bedroom.

"What were you doing?" Sakura breathed, putting her hands on her hips and bending over slightly as she breathed.

"I was looking for you. Obviously," He gestured toward her soaked clothes, "there's a storm and I need your assistance." Sasuke started to briskly walk down the ships hallways, heading above deck. Sakura trailed behind slightly, struggling to keep up as she had just finished running all around the ship looking for him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner." Sakura said, truly feeling responsible for the reason of Sasuke's short lived disappearance.

"Me too." Sasuke muttered. "Come along now, we have to hurry!" Sasuke reached out and grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling her along quickly as he raced above deck. Sakura thought that Sasuke's demeanor was a bit off, but couldn't exactly pinpoint what. He seemed… Well, Sakura didn't dare say skittish or scared, but there was a certain uneasiness about him- perhaps he was anxious. His hand gripped her wrist tightly, the warmth from his hand seeping into Sakura's cold one. She watched him from behind, his movements and stature. They weren't as graceful or as easy as usual, his steps were rigid and his shoulders were tense. Whatever the reason, Sakura had to brush it to the side for now because they were almost above decks, and much work awaited her. Work and patience. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her hand away from Sasuke's and matched his pace.

"Let's do this then." Sakura said confidently, glancing at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

She watched him give her a curt nod, and together they opened the hatch to the hazards above.

* * *

The storm was nothing near pretty. The sails had to be constantly cared for while they were rolled up, ropes continued to come undone and people frequently needed something. Everyone was trying to do their best, but at some points their best just wasn't quite good enough.

Naruto did a spectacular job keeping the ship from capsizing, driving the ship repeatedly into the waves as they came and went. His job was nearly the most difficult, having to always be on the lookout as the rain continued to pound on his back and drip into his eyes as he forced them open. The sad part was, this was only a small storm. The waters didn't rise as high as they usually did in a big one, the rain didn't hurt as much and it wasn't as freezing cold. Yes, it was horrible to deal with, but it was nothing like what Naruto has witnessed before.

"One to your right!" Hinata yelled loudly to Naruto. Naruto spun the wheel and caught it expertly, turning the ship as he drove it into the oncoming wave. He had Hinata looking out to the right of the ship for waves and Shikamaru on his left doing the same for the other side. During the storm these were mandatory positions for the captain since he just wasn't able to catch all the threats himself.

Naruto breathed heavily as he continued to labor over the ship. Thankfully storms like this didn't last a whole day, and he longed for the time that it was over. Honestly, Naruto loved thunderstorms and rain! However, he only loved them when he was on land. Land storms were much different from storms out on the sea. The seemingly soft or continuous rain on land was nothing to the absolutely brutally painful and almost unending torrents of water on the ocean. When Naruto was at sea… He'd much rather raid a ship or explore a burningly hot desert island. He had bad memories tied with storms and much preferred any other difficult job to dealing with them.

Hinata glanced back to look at her captain, seeing him endure through the rough conditions of the storm. She shivered in fear and because she was cold. She was soaked to the bone and could hardly remember what being dry felt like at this point. They were nearing the end of the first hour of the storm, and Hinata desperately hoped it was a short one. She was already sick of this. When she traveled with her family and such, storms weren't a problem for her. She stayed below decks where it was warm and cozy and didn't have to help with anything. She was tended to and usually ended up sleeping through the storms, not thinking anything of it.

Hinata turned and looked out at sea again, the dark gray waters shifting ominously, rising and falling with a rhythm all their own. Hinata brushed away wet pieces of hair that clung to her face, trying to pay attention. A small wave started to curl up a few ways away, continuing to rise up and up. Her gut twisted together and she spun around to look at Naruto who was also looking at the wave.

"Naruto!" Hinata called. She watched as Naruto took the wheel of his ship, gripping it tightly as he spun it to the right, the ship lurching to obey his command. Hinata braced herself against the side of the railing, waiting for impact. The ship began to rise up with the wave, the top of it rising higher than the boat, looking extremely menacing as the dark waters moved and rushed about without falling yet. When the wave reached it's peak and turned, rushing over, the top coming to slap down hard against the deck. The top of the ship broke through the water and hit the other side the wave, sinking into the water as it cushioned it's fall. The wave that brought them up didn't reach the others from the commanding deck, but the water that splashed out of the sea from the ship falling down on it did. Hinata was hit with cold salt water from the chest down, making her wince and shiver, the cold water making her clothes cling to her skin in an uncomfortable fashion. She really couldn't wait till this storm was over.

Lightning suddenly cracked, flashing everyone in a quick flash of white light. Hinata was looking at Naruto and gasped when the clear light showed just how tired and horrible he really looked. His eyes were dark and he had such an intense glower on his face it looked as if it was set there forever. She truly felt bad for him, knowing that this stressed him out beyond anything. One wrong move and all the lives on the ship could be lost… Who could be brave enough to get behind the wheel of a ship of this size and take on that responsibility? She admired Naruto in many ways, bravery being one of them. Hinata swiped her hand across her face, getting rid of the water there for only a second before being replaced with more. She looked back out at the waters and breathed deeply while lost in thought. She clasped her hands together in concern, wondering if Sakura was doing alright and if she was safe. Hopefully, she would find out soon. For now, however, she needed to focus on her job. Hinata continued to stare out at the black waters with solemn determination.

* * *

Sasuke was working on an important job as well, since he was currently running around the ship helping those who needed it. Sakura had parted with him to do the same, finding men who were heaving barrels and weights as they moved them around to keep the ship balanced and such. Sakura didn't mind the work, she just disliked the conditions that they were under. She may have grown up in a port town, but storms were never really her thing and she wasn't feeling too well at this point.

There was a sudden snapping sound which was quickly followed by a cannon starting to roll away from it's original position by the ships railing. Sakura acted fast and raced over to the moving cannon and braced herself as the heavy artillery rushed toward her. The wet metal hit her hands first and then slammed into her shoulder and side as she tried to stop it from rolling down the deck. Sakura heaved heavily as she started to slowly slide back with the cannon, the mass of it outweighing her by quite a lot. She pushed as hard as she could but with no avail could she get the cannon to stop.

Everything then appeared to happen all at once, time seemingly to slow as her brain processed everything that happened. First it was the look from Sasuke that made her gut twist at the sight of him for reasons unknown to her. Her green eyes flashed up and caught the look of alarm and almost panic gracing the face of the handsome Uchiha, his wet black hair framing his face elegantly as his head snapped up to watch the scene that was unfolding before him. Second, Sakura felt someone press against her from behind, the frame being one of a man. Sakura could already tell that he was incredibly fit, his hard chest pressing roughly against her back since, as she guessed, he was a bit taller than her. He made no nose of any kind, no words of comfort or command, but instead he trailed his hands down Sakura's arms and clasped the cannon she was trying her best to support while forcing it back with her in an effortless attempt to help her. The cannon stopped moving immediately and started to go in the opposite direction, the direction it was suppose to be going in when Sakura was pushing on it alone.

Sakura groaned slightly as she continued to push it back up towards the railing, trying to act unfazed by the unknown human behind her even though it was making her slightly uneasy that someone was quite so close without her knowing who it was. Together they reached the railing quickly, the cannon sliding into place with a neat _click_. The man swiftly removed his body from being pressed against Sakura's and grabbed a rope nearby and began to throw it over the cannon, still without saying a word. Sakura got a only a glance at him before the rope was tossed her way, which she quickly used to continue to tie the cannon back in place. The job was done in a minute, and the cannon finally back in place.

Sakura looked up and was met with a man who she had never seen about the ship before. He had clean white hair that was currently slightly being matted down by the continuous rain. He also had a beautiful set of eyes, one even being scarred. But that wasn't quite all that was so enrapturing about him. This man who had helped Sakura also wore a tight mask over the bottom half of his face, completely concealing that part of him from everyone.

"Thank you for your help." Sakura tried being loud enough to be heard over the storm without yelling.

"Anytime." The man's eyes showed that he simply smiled.

Sakura was about to ask the man who he was and inquire more about him when her thoughts and actions were interpreted by, of course, Sasuke.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's voice was faint, but still heard as he called to her from across the main deck.

Sakura spun around and tried to find him, squinting through the pelting downpour. She started to sprint across the deck, almost slipping once or twice as she found him helping a man throw a rope around the main mast.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked quickly, his eyes scanning the girl for any open cuts or anything of the source.

"I'm fine!" Sakura called back over the thunder.

"Go down below deck and help pump water out! I'll meet you down there if I get the chance!" He commanded.

Instead of agreeing with him and forcing her voice to be loud enough to be heard, Sakura showed her compliance by simply doing what she was told. She turned and went directly below decks, having been secretly very eager to get out of the harsh winds and rain.

Sakura continued on her way down to the depths of the ship, but stopped partway down. She cautiously looked around, not wanting anyone to see her stop for a moment. Noting that the coast was clear, she leaned daintily against the wall and gripped her shoulder, her entire right side on fire with pain. It was the side that had been hit with the cannon and, not wanting to show it at the time, just ignored the pain that it had caused her. She breathed heavily, taking slow deep breaths in and out. A small corner of her right ribcage hurt every time she breathed in, and she undoubtedly bruised herself pretty hard.

Sakura slid down the wall slowly, her clothes making a _squish_ sound as she actually sat down for a moment. She reached up and took her hair out, the wet strands all tumbling out around her face. She groaned as she reached forward and took off her boots, emptying them of water before slipping them back on her cold feet. Sakura closed her eyes and felt the rocking of the ship, trying to calm herself down before going back out to fight this thing till the end. After another moment of silence she put her hair back up and stood slowly, using the wall for support as she started to continue to the decks below.

Sakura just went down another flight of stairs when she turned to go down the last only to see the middle of the stairs was completely submerged in water. Her brow creased in concern and confusion, but proceeded downward anyway. She stepped into the water and continued to walk into the room, the sound of running water could be heard as well as loud clicking and clanking. When Sakura hit the bottom of the floor the water was up to about her hips, making her wade through the murky waters to find someone down here.

"Hello?" She called out, coming around a corner to an open room. The room had no windows and not a lot of light, but in the middle of it there was a large contraption built in a box shape. It was supported by wooden beams on all four corners and looked almost like a cannon facing downward toward the ship. It had four big levers on each side with lots of heavy intricate equipment on the inside of the box. Sakura really had no idea what it was, as she had never seen anything like it. It was as if the big round metal cylinder was alive, it's gears never stopping and it's groaning never ceasing.

"Sakura!" A mans voice called out. His head popped out from around the other side of the box, his untamed brown hair damp and slightly curly. A look of relief washed over his attractive face, and he started to run toward her.

"Kiba?" Sakura recognized him instantly, knowing him slightly better than some other crew members. They'd see each other in the halls and at the dinning court and say hello to one other, often exchange smiles and good mornings.

Kiba gripped Sakura's hand and pulled her through the water over to the water pump.

"Okay, so we'd usually have to fill the pump up to help it get water out if it was a regular day of sailing, but because to the storm we're a little backed up. What you're going to want to do is every time this," He pointed to metal rod that was sticking out of one of the wooden beams, which Sakura found that one of them was on all four of them. "sticks up, you're going to want to pull this lever and release all the water that the pump has collected." Kiba let of Sakura and moved to one of the levers. It was a foot or so taller than Sakura, and she watched as he gripped it and swung it down, the metal in the pump creaking as the floorboards vibrated somewhat. The metal rod that was on this side of the beam dropped down so that it was now resting against the wooden surface. Kiba let go of the lever and watched as it brought itself back up. The metal rod began to slowly rise now, and Sakura assumed it was just to track how full the pump was.

"This is… Very intricate." Sakura muttered.

Kiba laughed and went over to one side of the box, the one facing Sakura.

"It may be intricate, but it gets old being down here alone doing all the work myself. Thanks for coming to help out." He reached up and brought his lever down, the boards silently vibrating again.

Sakura was quiet as she began to work on pumping the water out with Kiba. They got into a rhythm where Sakura would pull her lever down then wait for her water level to rise back up while Kiba pulled his lever down and waited as Sakura continued on with hers. This was certainly not one of Sakura's favorite jobs, but she could see her work making a small difference which did help bring her motivation to continue on. She was quiet as she kept pumping the water out with Kiba. As she worked she was stepping all over the floor, trying to find her footing since she couldn't see her feet. A moment later she stepped on something hard and yelped out, accidentally letting go of the pump handle too early. It made a loud churring noise and then shook a moment before going back to normal.

"Are you okay?" Kiba asked quickly, a look of alarm on his face.

"I'm fine, I just stepped on something." Sakura muttered.

"Oh! Those are the foot hooks most likely. In front of each handle theres two iron hooks for you to put your feet under and stable yourself when the water is really high. It's a great feature honestly, and one I hope we never have to use." Kiba said.

Sakura felt a small shiver run up her spine when he said that. Being out on the ocean came with a lot of risks, storms of course being a very big main one.

Sakura breathed deeply as she started to work again, watching the dark waters move around as the floorboards continued to hum and vibrate slightly.

* * *

Hinata struggled with each step she took to get down the stairs safely. Naruto had ordered her sternly after she refused for the third time to go below decks. She wanted to pretend that he was being ridiculous for making her get out of the storm, but in all honesty Hinata couldn't argue with him. The storm wasn't letting up at all at this point, and Hinata knew that Naruto was worried enough and couldn't be continuously checking if she was okay after every thunderclap. She gripped the railing tightly as she reached the main deck, looking out and planning how she would get to the hatch before actually proceeding. Taking a deep breath, she began to trudge through the rain and wind, making her way over to the main mast.

Hinata almost slipped on her way over but caught herself before actually going down, partly from good footing and partly from refusing to fall. She continued on without hesitation, constantly reminding herself that this was only a small storm and it was nothing to be afraid of. Or at least that's what she tried to tell herself. There was an impossibly fast flash of lightning quickly followed by a tremendously loud roll of thunder which struck stone cold fear into Hinata's heart as she tried to be brave. She gasped and clutched at her chest, her lip starting to quiver from fear, tears, and the cold.

She didn't have that much longer to go and tried to make a dash for the entrance. Suddenly, however, she was stopped when a man walking backwards carrying a large crate almost toppled over her. She apologized profusely and backed away, almost bumping into another man which made her dodge out of his way and almost hit yet another worker. Hinata scurried out of peoples way in a rushed manner, trying to avoid any harm. She got further from the hatch and closer to the edge of the ship, but didn't want to be anyones problem so continued to stay out of the way as she just tried to make her way back.

In a moment of misfortune a wave crashed into the ship and someone yelled at someone as the ship rocked fiercely under foot. A crew member rushed over to assist a situation that had arisen and, without the intent to, knocked Hinata hard to the ground, slamming her down which in turn made him collapse on the floor. Hinata yelped as she went down in fear and pain, her eyes stinging more than ever.

"Hinata!" A voice called out.

Hinata, however, was busy curling up on the deck floor, breathing deeply as she tried to calm herself down before having a panic attack. There was loud thumping that approached where Hinata lay, and as the man that hit Hinata down tried to apologize he was quieted by the coming force. Beckoned away quickly, the man said one last apology before scurrying off in horror, still going to assist where he was needed.

Warm hands were placed on Hinata's shoulders and quickly helped her sit up. Hinata looked up finally and when she saw who it was fell openly into his chest as unceasing tremors shook her violently. Almost reluctantly did hands enwrap the frightened girl.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Sasuke asked.

There was a moment of silence before the reply came.

"Yes, I th-think s-so." Hinata got out through chattering teeth.

A deep sigh reverberated deeply throughout his chest as he held the girl for another moment.

"Come on, let's get you below deck." He said quietly.

Sasuke helped Hinata up, his taller frame giving her a sense of superiority yet comfort, as she knew now she would finally get out of the rain.

Sasuke let Hinata go first, and this time everyone made sure to avoid her quickly when they saw the person that was behind her. She easily made it to the hatch which Sasuke quickly opened for her, allowing her to go inside first.

The relief that Hinata felt was so incredible she almost cried out of happiness. She wanted to just lay down on the floor right there and cry but she couldn't, as people were still just as busy down here as up on the main deck. She quickly started to head toward her room, wanting to change out of her clothes, even if they were going to get wet again. She had to get warm. She glanced back to see that Sasuke was following her, though quiet as ever and looking deep in thought. Her heart swelled with thanks for his presence as she continued on. Without him, she knew she wouldn't have gotten here.

From what Sakura had told Hinata, Sasuke was a very reserved man with not much to say other than grunts. Hinata had personally not spent that much time with him and had certainly never been alone with him. She also had no reason to speak with him alone, so that was never done before either. All other times had been at meals when Naruto or him and been together or maybe when Naruto and him were talking on deck. In any case, it didn't unnerve her to have him around, but it certainly was strange.

Sasuke on the other hand was indeed very deep in thought. He didn't mind the Hyuuga girl and at all and thought that she wasn't bad company. However he never had to deal with her alone, which of course at this moment wasn't a problem, but may serve to be one if he wasn't careful. There wasn't much to it, and Sasuke didn't want to overthink it- but he certainly didn't want to under-think it either. Thankfully for Sasuke, he'd never felt uncomfortable with silence. Which he of course assumed there would be much of as long as he was with Hinata alone, for he noticed she was a very timid and quiet girl. Quite reserved and very nice. A perfect match for Naruto, in all honesty since the dobe was always so loud and obnoxious. Thinking of which, he wondered how the relationship was between Hinata and Naruto. Not having much time to just sit and chat with him recently, he really had no idea at all.

"Wh-what?" Hinata said confused.

Sasuke looked up and saw that they had reached Hinata's room, the door was slightly ajar and there was a large crate not allowing it from opening up any further.

"Oh. There's nothing wrong, there was just a slight… Inconvenience." Sasuke reassured Hinata.

He quickly walked over and moved the crate, it surprisingly being much heavier than he'd first assumed.

"I swear, if this is another woman…" Sasuke said under his breath as he opened it up quickly to check.

"What w-was that?" Hinata questioned.

"Nothing." Sasuke said quickly as he closed the crate back up.

Hinata nodded her head once and stood there, waiting for Sasuke to stand. He was soaked completely as well, and from a women's point of view thought that his wet shirt that clung to his impossibly fit abs was attractive, though from her point of view she saw Sasuke as nothing more but an acquaintance. She may have found comfort in his presence earlier, and for good reason as well- but she honestly didn't know him all that well. She watched as he turned, his impossibly dark eyes looking back at her through his dark lashes.

"Thank y-you, Sasuke, for your h-help." She said.

"Hng."

There was silence.

Hinata felt pressured under his intense gaze. She felt exposed, like he was trying to read her mind and find out all her secrets.

"I'm g-going to s-stay down here for a wh-while most likely." Hinata said slowly.

When there was no reply Hinata nodded her head once and clasped her hands in front of her. She moved awkwardly to the door and ducked inside, about to close the door when Sasuke stopped her.

"Hinata-" There was more silence.

Hinata opened the door enough to see Sasuke, he looked conflicted and… Unsure, for once.

"Yes?" She prompted.

A look of defeat flashed across Sasuke's face that was quickly replaced with a look of apathy, followed by a sigh. "Stay warm." He said.

He turned and left, and Hinata let him go. If there was nothing he wanted to say to her at this point, she wouldn't push. His presence made her uncomfortable at the moment, and she couldn't explain why. It's like his whole being is screaming to say something but there are no words to express that which needs to be said. Hinata could tell there was something that Sasuke needed to get out, something that was bothering him. Ever since the other day when Sakura had the rest of the day off, when she had shown him more attitude than usual and didn't play by his rules- he seemed out of place. Well, not for him, but his mind seemed confused.

Or maybe Hinata was making all of this up and Sasuke was actually fine.

Deciding that that was a completely reliable answer, Hinata continued to go change in her room and try to get warm.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was heading back up above decks for only a moment. He was thinking to himself, which was never a good thing in all honesty, and was making himself angrier and angrier as time passed. He was confused, yes, and it pissed him off beyond anything else at this time. All he wanted to do was keep everyone safe in this storm but when his mind kept flashing back to that damned pink haired beauty his gut would drop and his mouth would go dry. He clenched his fists and stomped his way above decks to yell out a few more commands before storming down below decks once again, going deeper and deeper into the belly of the boat, both the ship and his anger swallowing him up.

Everyone avoided his path, as no one dared get in his way on his descent down. Not even the devil would quarrel with him at this time.

A few minutes later Sasuke had reached the pit of the ship and had blown off a little steam at this time, all the exercise doing him good. He reached the last landing and continued down the last few stairs when he noticed the water being a few inches off the floor in the ship. He wondered how high it had been this last time, and made a note to inquire about it later. If they had a leakage problem he needed to know.

Sasuke suddenly stopped short, for he heard something strange- something very, very strange. He stood there another moment waiting to see if the sound would repeat itself and sure enough, it did. Turning the corner he saw Sakura looking into Kiba's eyes, a delighted smile on her face as an angelic laugh soon followed, which was the source of the strange noise as Kiba said something apparently humorous to her.

Anger swirled about him faster than the winds outside, his vision flashed with white hot rage for a split second as he felt his fingers dig into the palms of his hands.

"Haruno!" His voice burst fourth with such power and such surprise it made both Kiba and Sakura jump almost a foot in the air, causing them both to let go of their handle which in turn made the pump churr and groan.

"S-Sasu-" Sakura had no time to speak.

"What the f-" Sasuke took a deep breath and spoke dangerously low. "What do you think you're doing?"

Sakura had no idea how to respond. Just a moment ago Kiba was telling her a funny story to pass the time, and all of the sudden Sasuke showed up and was practically ready to kill something. She had no idea how to react, how to handle this. So she stayed silent, since she figured that no matter what she said it would only anger him further and she didn't want to give more fuel to the fire.

"Go up above decks." Sasuke said. He had stopped looking at her and instead was staring straight at Kiba, never breaking eye contact.

Sakura glanced at Kiba but said not a word and started to move slowly, looking reluctant as she had no idea what Sasuke was even doing. So many questions…

"Move!" Sasuke suddenly yelled at her.

Sakura broke into a run, her gut twisting in a flash of fright. She swept passed him and started to sprint up the stairs, not looking back to see if he was following her.

 _Why is he like this? Why is he so upset? Why is he so angry? Was it me? Was it something I did? Was it something I didn't do? Or is it something that happened? What do I do?_ Sakura's own thoughts rang in her ears as she continued on her way up. _I don't want to be the reason he's upset… I don't want to be responsible. Was it me? Was it? What can I do? What can I even say?_

Sakura was so lost in thought she didn't realize she had stopped running, but instead was slowly climbing her way up the stairs. She heard nothing but felt the presence of Sasuke suddenly behind her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She stopped walking and took a deep breath. She paced out how things would go in her mind- She'd turn around and see him there, she'd ask him what she did wrong and he would ignore her, she'd ask him again and demand on answer and he would begin to tell her all the things that needed to be done, that she had to do and couldn't be ignored.

Sakura sighed and turned around to see Sasuke standing there, his dark wet hair framing his impossibly handsome face. His dark eyes shifted from her to the space behind her, and just as Sakura opened her mouth to ask what was the matter he was gone, walking right past her without uttering a single word.

Sakura stood there dumbfounded as she listened to him walk up the stairs, the thumping of his feet no longer sounding angry. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she waited just another moment before turning and following him up the stairs. She caught up enough so that she was now the one following him, watching his stark movements as he continued up the stairs at a quickened pace.

"Sasuke?" Her voice sounded small, as if she was unsure of herself- which she was, so it worked out.

"Sasuke?" She asked louder this time, but still no answer came.

Sakura was about to say his name one more time when he suddenly stopped, he was completely still and silent as ever. Slowly, he glanced behind his broad shoulder to look at Sakura who was looking up at him with such a puzzled look on her face it took her everything in her power not to say anything. She watched his shoulders rise and fall slightly as he took deep breaths, and finally watched as he turned just slightly before looking down into her green eyes.

"Just help me through these few hours."

It sounded odd, like he couldn't say anything else other than those exact words without it coming out wrong. Sakura didn't want to reply, and she didn't want to help him until she understood why he was so angry before. Now, he wasn't angry, he just looked tired.

"Okay." She replied quietly, nothing above a whisper.

They continued up the stairs, Sakura following him as she watched him climb the stairs. The Sharinkitsune must have crashed into a wave because the boat suddenly rocked far to the right, making the boat lean and creak with stress, making Sakura tip and almost lose her footing down the stairs. A hand shot out and steadied her, but again there was just silence. Sakura refused to thank him, or to even look up at him, but instead just continued to climb. She didn't want to see his face, because it only confused her further.

If there was one thing in this world that was truly confusing, it was Sasuke's emotions.

When they reached the top decks, Sakura didn't immediately jump out into the rain like Sasuke did, she stayed back slightly for only a moment before emerging into the pelting downpour once again. She had liked being away from this, liked not feeling the cold water sting her face. But she was at it once again, helping with where she was needed and carrying out commands like a crew member would. At one point she was on the complete other side of the boat as Sasuke, and ended up even working with Naruto for a change. It was a nice difference from the usual monotone and demanding Sasuke, but also strange to be thanked and told that she did a good job. She wasn't used to getting praise, as Sasuke never gave any.

"The masts are set!" Sakura called, sprinting up the main stairs to Naruto.

"Wonderful! Any signs of the storm decreasing?" Naruto asked her.

"The only difference people have mentioned is the lightning has stopped. Other than that however, no." Sakura looked out at the sea, it's waters seemingly calming down. Or maybe that was just her high hopes.

"Have you seen the pump room yet?" Naruto asked as her.

"Have I?" Sakura laughed. "Yes, it's lovely." She smiled sweetly. Naruto seemed to gleam with pride at her words of praise.

Naruto called to Shikamaru who was nearby to take over the wheel as Naruto wanted to show Sakura how to do some things that may come in handy, and now that the storm was dying down it was the perfect time to do so. He and Sakura moved about the ship, from the front, middle to the end talking over how to do this and that and showing her some things that make this easy and make this more difficult.

Sakura couldn't be happier that Naruto was taking the time to show her how to do things. It was so odd, being asked and treated nicely by this genuinely well meaning guy instead of the alternative which… Wasn't so nice, to say the least. Instead of being commanded to do something she didn't know how to and just told to wing it, she was taught properly how to do this, or how to tie that, or how to ask a certain question to find out the information that you needed to know. Not only that but Naruto made it a point to say things such as "Well done!" And "Good job!" As well as "You're learning so well!" Things that just made her feel genuinely good.

"I don't know, he just never says anything like that." Sakura said to Naruto as they were coming up to the back deck.

"He never says good job?" Naruto asked, not really sounding surprised.

"Only sarcastically." Sakura laughed. Naruto shook his head, finding some humor in the whole situation.

"I'm sure he'll come around." Naruto offered.

"Sure." Sakura sighed. She bit her lip slightly as their reached the edge of the boat, leaning against the railing and sighed. "I'm just trying to do my best, you know? Working with Sasuke is nothing easy as you've probably noticed. He just keeps barking out commands left and right, expecting me to be able to follow through with each and every one of them with perfect results. I mean, we can have some great conversations, and yeah he makes me laugh now and again, but… Well I don't know, it's just…" Sakura sighed, not being able to think of the proper words to express how she felt. "In any case," she continued on, "I've been under a great deal pressure during this damn storm it's unbelievable. Hinata's constantly been on my mind and I haven't even gotten a chance to check up on her since this whole thing got so bad."

Naruto nodded his head in understand. "Yeah, I know. But trust me, he's beyond stressed right now. I'm sure you've noticed that he's a lot more stark than his usual demanding self. However, he does have good reason to be."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked confused.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but he suddenly closed it.

"I shouldn't tell you." He said almost reluctantly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"If you need to know, I'll let him be the one to tell you. It's not my story to tell, after all." Naruto sighed.

Sakura was quiet. She turned and leaned against the railing, careful not to lean on her right arm, as it was beyond painful right now. Her legs ached, her feet were in discomfort, her chest burned with every intake of breath, her right side was in agony and there was a stabbing pain that would shoot across her left eye every now and again. She had been through a lot, and still had a lot to get through. She grew even more tired just thinking about it.

Sakura closed her eyes as she let the rain fall against her skin, it being much softer than it was before. She felt Naruto shift beside her, and peeked an eye open to see that he was glaring at the gray waters, his blue eyes dark with touches of self torment.

"He likes you, I'm sure." He suddenly said, looking at Sakura.

Sakura barked out a snarky laugh.

"Toleration can sometimes be misinterpreted as affection."

Naruto heard a call from a crew member down below and glanced at Sakura before they both started to run down the back steps to see what was the matter. All the while Sakura was thinking about what Naruto had said, about Sasuke being more stressed than ever. She had noticed his attitude of course, and knew that something was up. His constant mood swings and aggressive behavior as well as his seemingly apathetic wording which brightly contrasted with his body language. It all just wasn't making sense to her.

Naruto and her continued to work together, Sakura having lost Sasuke at this time anyway. They worked well together, both very diligent in making sure everything was in the right order. You'd think that after a few hours of working in a storm there wouldn't be anything left to do! But all the tasks which were being done and had yet to get done proved there was always something that needed to completed.

That hour ended with Sakura feeling refreshed, despite the constant ache her body was in. Naruto felt the same, feeling brighter and happier now that he had a chance to work with Sakura. He had been wanting to get to know her a little better ever since Hinata kept mentioning what an amazing person she was. That was something Naruto definitely had to agree on with Hinata, Sakura certainly was amazing. Honestly, he thought that anyone who could spend an extended amount of time with Sasuke without losing their cool was amazing.

Spending time with the bright vibrant Sakura was amazing, and Naruto enjoyed all the laughs and smiles that came along with her. However, working with her also made him miss the soft spoken Hinata as well- and even if he didn't admit to missing her a lot, he could definitely admit to missing her at least a little.

* * *

Hinata made her way up the stairs to the hatch. She was feeling slightly sick from being rocked about more than usual in her cabin. She felt bad for just leaving the crew and Naruto when she knew that there was always something that had to be done… But Hinata truly was scared. She had curled up on her bed and had shook every time the thunder rolled and the boat rocked. But she was feeling brave right now! Was that because she hadn't heard a thunderclap in over twenty minutes? Maybe. But it didn't matter to her!

She stepped out on the main deck and already felt that everyone's spirit was in a slightly better mood. The rain was still coming down, but it was nothing of what it was like before.

When she came above decks, she went ahead and started toward the main deck, walking slowly as she glanced around at everyone, checking their facial expressions and seeing what their reaction to the weather was. She passed the main mast and spotted Sasuke talking to a man, who, despite looking younger of age, had white hair. Sasuke seemingly dismissed the man and caught a glimpse of the fair skinned girl, who timidly raised her hand in a small wave before continuing on to the front deck.

Sasuke moved with rigid steps as he turned and followed Hinata. His long strides easily carried him swiftly over to her side, but didn't say anything as he slowed just slightly as their paces matched. Hinata acknowledged Sasuke's presence when she glanced at him and smiled, her beautiful lavender eyes looking at him softly. Sasuke reminded Hinata so much of a relative long lost, but never forgotten. Maybe that's why she found comfort in his, seemingly to others, 'cold' presence.

Sasuke stepped to the side and allowed Hinata to go up the stairs first before following behind her. Together they reached the top, and both stopped short when they saw Sakura and Naruto at the other side of the ship laughing together as they seemingly talked over something humorous with one another. Hinata felt Sasuke tense and stole a glance at him through dark lashes, trying to be discrete as she studied his form. He must have felt her eyes on him, for he looked down at her for only a second before moving forward. Hinata was hit with an unexpected wave of clarity as she stood still and watched him take a step forward, her mind racing a mild a minute.

She had suspected that Sasuke was the jealous type- maybe possessive or overprotective, possibly even slightly controlling. However when she looked at him just now, she didn't see anything of that. She had saw no hint of jealousy in his eyes, and so she knew that it must be something else that's bothering him so much. She personally couldn't conclude what it was, as she hadn't spent enough time with him to know him that well, but she knew it was something more than just superficial feelings that he most likely didn't posses.

Naruto turned and spotted Sasuke at that moment, walking toward him with an angry look at his face. Despite his bad mood however, Naruto decided to greet him happily anyway.

"Sasuke! What a-" Naruto didn't even stand a chance.

"HINATA!" Sakura screamed, her excitement bursting forth as she broke out into a fast run toward the girl, practically pouncing on her and giving her a bone-crushing hug.

"How are you?! Are you okay? What have you been doing? Are you hurt anywhere? Where have you been? Are you hurt? Do you need anything? What-" Sakura was interrupted by Hinata's soft laugh, her mood suddenly changing from concern to utter delight.

"I'm f-fine, Sakura. Thank you." Hinata giggled. She watched as Sakura sighed in relief, and gave her another hug, holding her close.

"Ch, women." Sasuke scoffed as he neared Naruto.

"You okay, teme? You look tired." Naruto clapped Sasuke on the back.

Sasuke stayed silent. He turned and leaned against the railing, the rain becoming lighter than it already was. He turned his head slightly and watched the two girls interact over his shoulder. Sakura continued to ask Hinata endless questions about her health while Hinata tried to calm the girl, reassuring her that she was completely fine.

Naruto started to ask Sasuke a bunch of questions of about the ship and how it did during some difficult times, what needed to be changed and what he noticed about it. Sasuke gave his heartfelt feedback, also asking Naruto questions about his experience and such. After a few minutes the girls joined them at the front of the ship, all four of them in a group of their own.

After a few minutes the winds gave a final gust goodbye as they swirled around the party and took their leave, the air suddenly becoming still afterward. The party was quiet for a few minutes, all of them noticing the first few traces of bright orange that laid ahead of the ship. The rain lightened up more and more, until it was finally a soft mist that they were traveling through.

Then, the Sharinkitsune broke through the storms edge, all traces of water in the air falling away as the ship glided gracefully across the now calm, golden peeked ocean.

Hinata sighed, loving the feeling of the cool air brushing softly against her skin. She looked at Naruto and saw that he was smiling widely, looking out across the ocean and at the glittering sunrise. She felt happiness swell inside her chest. The storm was finally over!

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling the warm new sunshine on her cold face. She so badly just wanted to be warm. She could feel Sasuke beside her, his presence was so dominating it was difficult to ignore even the feeling of him being near- However, she could actually feel his spirits start to calm slightly as they got further and further away from the storm. She peeked an eye open and looked at him just slightly. His eyes were closed as well, the sunlight illuminating his impossibly handsome face. She watched as his broad shoulders seemed to relax, his muscles not looking quite so tight as he slumped over just slightly, actually taking a break from his perfectly perfect posture for once in his life. For a moment, he looked vulnerable, like he was actually human for a change. Sakura looked away, feeling as though she was seeing something she wasn't supposed to see- a normal Sasuke.

Minutes later everyone on the ship was practically celebrating. A sea shanty was in full swing by the time the sails were let down, the big white canvas was rolled down with lots of power, the bright white of it being bathed in the bronze-toned light, practically glittering with joyfulness. Naruto and Hinata had escaped to start cleaning out the captains cabin, which was in ruin since no one had time to stabilize the bookshelves before coming out to help with the storm.

Sasuke was the one at the helm, staying silent as he sailed the ship onward, never once looking back. He had thought he had distracted Sakura enough with more jobs, but by the time the sun was a few hours away from reaching midday, he could see her already making her way to the main deck to check with him again.

He studied her as she made her way over, taking note of how her shoulders sagged and how much she blinked. She looked beyond tired, worn out and completely exhausted. He watched as she reached up and let her hair down, the pink strands falling freely and blowing softly in the wind. She walked up the stairs and Sasuke looked away, watching straightforward as she came nearer.

"Well, everything is fine on the main deck. Nothing broke during the storm, and no one was lost. Like you said, it was only a minor storm so there shouldn't be much clean up. Would you like me to check below deck as well?" Sakura sounded slightly winded and wheezy, but didn't ever complain of her current state of health, which Sasuke could appreciate.

"No."

"No?" Sakura asked confused, wondering if she had heard the Uchiha correctly.

"No." Sasuke confirmed. Sakura stood there frustrated and put a hand on her hip, annoyance gracing her features.

"Well then, what do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Rest." He said simply. Sakura was taken slightly aback and couldn't help the shock from showing on her face.

"Wh-What?" She cursed herself for sounding stupid.

"Go rest, Sakura."

Sakura wanted to argue, to say no and continue helping. She wanted to force all answers out of him, make him tell her what his problem was, why he had been so angry with her. She wanted to ask about what Naruto had said, about the storm and why he was so stressed, hinting at something that happened to Sasuke. She just wanted to know everything. But alas, the sleeplessness and exhaustion wouldn't go away with work and stubbornness, and she knew she should do as she was told.

So, she turned in silence and started making her way over to the stairs.

"Oh, and Sakura?"

Sakura turned to look at him over her shoulder, a quizzical brow raised.

"You did well today, thank you." Sasuke said smoothly.

Sakura's heart leapt at the words, happiness immediately replacing her bad mood and bringing her joy. She wanted to run around and tell everyone that Sasuke had actually said good job! That he actually thanked her and was nice! However, she knew she wasn't going to do that and she knew that Sasuke, most likely, had issues even getting the words out. Not wanting to make him feel awkward, she just smiled at him happily.

"Thank you." And with a nod, she was gone, walking swiftly away to the confines of her room where she would finally be able to rest, not only her body but her mind as well.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! It's been an incredible year, despite everything that people say, and I hope to see great things that come out of it.**

 **If you have any questions or comments leave a review or pm me! I'm always available, even if I'm not constantly posting a chapter.**

 **What did YOU think of this chapter? What were your thoughts and feelings? Let me know!**

 **Also- What did you think of the chapter length? I'm honesty curious to know, as this chapter was about 5,000+ more words than the last! We started with the first chapter word count being only around 3,000 and now this last chapter almost peeked 10,000! So let me know if this was a good length or not, if it was too long or still too short.**

 **And how about that Kakashi appearance! Kakashi is by far one of my favorite characters and I'm super excited to continue writing him in later chapters.**

 **Btw, if you didn't notice already, I added chapter names! So if you're interested in that kind of thing then take a glance at those!**

 **Thanks for sticking around even though I haven't posted in a while guys, it really means a lot. Thank you!**

 **Much love~**

 **ShadowSpinner OUT!**


End file.
